Ostensibly
by ohlawsons
Summary: Monumentally terrible ideas are what Darth Nox does best - and going to Rishi is her worst one yet. Between the Revanites, Theron Shan, and trying to navigate increasingly complicated Sith politics, Nox finds she may have gotten more than she'd bargained for. Will cover Shadow of Revan through Ziost.
1. Chapter 1

**27\. April 2016: chapter updated  
 _A/N:_** _Anyway - as mentioned previously, this is an_ incredibly _self-indulgent monster of a fic. While my Inquisitor (Reiyaxa) is definitely the focus, my Agent (Zaara) and Knight (Cori) also feature fairly prominently during Rishi. Other classes will appear down the line. Thanks for reading!_

* * *

"A shame. Perhaps I should've sent a team of my own."

"You did. _My_ team found their corpses, Nox, there's no sense in trying to deny you went behind my back. The Republic simply beat us to both Manaan and Rakata Prime — this has nothing to do with the competency of my researchers."

Despite her efforts to keep her expression neutral, Rei found herself frowning down at the report on the datapad in front of her. She'd suspected something had happened to the Reclamation Service team she'd sent to Rakata Prime, but hadn't been able to confirm anything. And while she didn't exactly _trust_ Darth Acina, Rei was confident she had no reason to lie at the moment.

Business in the Empire was continuing as normal — the death of Arkous and the alleged treachery of Lana Beniko no more than minor blips in the otherwise unaffected order of things — but Rei had been unable to put the Revanites out of her mind. She hadn't been satisfied with the Council's treatment of the situation, either; they'd simply blamed Lana, but it had been _Arkous_ , a council member with a tremendous amount of influence and power within the Empire, who'd been at fault, not some inconsequential Sith lord.

Taking matters into her own hands had become nearly impossible, however, after she attempted to defend Lana. So Rei had been forced to turn to allies — not that she had many, but Acina's position had made her an obvious choice.

On the surface, they'd been attempting to harness the Rakatan technology used in the Revanites' cyborgs, but Rei had been hoping to find any further information on the Revanites. So far, they hadn't been successful on either front.

"Tell me, at least," Rei sighed, folding her hands on top of her desk, "we've got _something_? I'll accept that the facility on Manaan was too damaged to be of any use, but there's no excuse for returning empty handed a second time."

Acina raised an eyebrow, giving Rei an icy look of disapproval. "Given how desperate the Republic is to recover this technology, I'd say we've been successful, yes. What they didn't salvage, they destroyed — or tried to, at least. It is Rakatan, after all. It _will_ take time to work through what we've acquired," she admitted, "but we should have enough to make a full report to the rest of the council in… a month, perhaps."

 _A month_ was better than nothing, Rei supposed, but it still felt like far too long. Either way, her role in their partnership was over for the moment, and she would have to be content with sitting and waiting for further updates from Acina. "You're working with scraps," Rei asked, "and the Republic, as far as we know, may have implants that are entirely intact. They'll have working prototypes before we even understand the technology."

"Yes, but they won't _use_ them," Acina scoffed. "They'll study the technology and the information will waste away in some lab report. _We_ can have enhanced soldiers bolstering our military all over the galaxy by the end of the year."

A secondary goal, in Rei's opinion, but an important one nonetheless. "And the Revanites? Is it possible to learn anything more about them from what we've gathered?"

Her question was answered with a lazy knock at the door and a voice she wasn't certain she wanted to hear at that moment. "Revanites? You're not still hung up on that, are you, Nox?"

Rei greeted Zaara with a terse, "Agent Ven."

"I don't mean to interrupt," she offered, voice far more sincere than it had been moments ago, "but your door was open, and it's important. _Very_ important, according to the Wrath."

"We were just wrapping up." Acina stood, giving a curt nod first to Rei then to Zaara. "I'll forward you anything we find, Nox, but I won't make any promises. Always a pleasure, Agent."

Rei said nothing as Acina left, simply giving Zaara a questioning glance; the agent shrugged. "I did some work for her a while back. It ended well. It's not important — _this_ is." She placed a mangled piece of metal on Rei's desk.

"Did you… steal that from an art exhibit?"

"It's a _tracker_ , Rei."

"Have you _seen_ some of the art in these museums? It's an easy mistake to make." Picking up the tracker, Rei turned it around in her hands, able to make out the remains of a metal shell. "Was if filled with explosives? Or, you wrestled a rancor for it, perhaps?"

Zaara rolled her eyes and snatched the tracker back. "I had SCORPIO rip it open to get to the core. I thought maybe we could use it to determine where they're coming from."

"And?"

" _And_ no luck — at first. They don't _do_ anything, so we couldn't track a signal back to wherever it came from." Pausing, she glanced towards the still-open door, lowering her voice when she spoke again. "I found a fourth one this morning, and we were able to piece together enough information to find an origin. Like I said, I told Darth Evris, and she thinks it may be connected to Rakata Prime."

"And?" Rei repeated. She knew Zaara was close with the Wrath; they'd both been involved in uncovering the Revanites originally, so she wasn't certain why they weren't both investigating now.

"She thinks it's trouble, and I agree. I don't trust anyone who can track me down on my own ship. That's why I want your help."

Rei stood, stretching her arms over her head with a contented sigh. "You know, I _was_ just thinking I needed a vacation." There were preparations to make, of course, necessary precautions to take while she was gone from both Dromund Kaas and Korriban, and then there was the matter of gathering her crew; neither task would take long, considering Zash handled most of Rei's business while she was gone and her apprentices and Talos were never far. Andronikos had left the city for a few days, but she could have Zash send him a message.

As for Rei, she had a score to settle with the Revanites.

…

Cori awoke with a start.

The dreams and visions that had clouded her sleep for the past several nights were slowly becoming clearer; the danger had a source, the panic had a reason.

And, somehow, Lana was tied to it all.

Rubbing tiredly at her eyes, Cori slid out of her bed, searching for a pair of pants to slip on under her too-long shirt. There wouldn't likely be anyone else awake at such an hour — at least, she hoped not — but she'd been caught off-guard one too many times. All Cori wanted was to get some water, maybe meditate a bit, and get back to _sleep_ ; she didn't have the time or patience to deal with anyone's comments, teasing or otherwise.

Of course, as her luck would have it, she wasn't the only one awake.

Kira cocked an eyebrow as Cori walked in, both Jedi sharing a look of tired understanding. Wordlessly, she offered her the mug she held; when she protested, Kira shook her head. "It's tea. I'll make myself another cup. Trust me, you look like you need it more than I do."

With a mumbled thanks, Cori cradled the warm mug as she sat, curling her feet up under her. "What are you still doing up?" she asked, taking an experimental sip of the tea.

"Oh, you know — the usual." She shrugged. "Cryptic visions about some unavoidable doom. Nothing worth worrying over."

"I'm still having them, too. The dreams."

While she waited on her tea, Kira sat across from Cori, a devious grin spreading across her face. "Still dreaming about your Sith, huh?"

Cori was too concerned to be embarrassed; even though she _had_ seen Lana again, she couldn't shake the feeling of dread from the dream. Still, she had to put up _some_ fight. "You know it's not like that," she insisted weakly. "I think... I think she may be in danger."

Kira's grin slowly disappeared. "That bad? So your dreams are getting clearer?"

"Not exactly _clear_ , but... I could make out jungles. And water."

"Jungles?" Kira frowned. "You wouldn't be thinking of Rishi, would you? Because the navicomputer's rerouted there a couple times. I've got Teeseven monitoring it to see who's messing with it," she added, "but it hasn't happened again. Not yet, at least."

"Rishi." Cori stared down at the floor for a moment, deep in thought. "I think... maybe." She shook her head as if to clear it; her lack of sleep combined with the darkness from the vision was making it difficult to think. "If this is all connected — to Lana and to the Revanites — then do you think we should check in with Major Sohms? She wouldn't be getting these visions."

Kira slowly arched an eyebrow, remaining silent for a few moments before asking, "Cori? You know it's not the _Force_ that's messing with our navigation system. If Lana's in your dreams, I'm guessing Theron's in our computers."

"Right, that's… sorry." Cori stared down into her tea, unable to express how haphazard her thoughts were; the continued lack of sleep was beginning to get to her, but she knew if she went back to bed she'd spend the next few hours tossing and turning. "Still, I think I'll call in the morning. If nothing else, it'll be good to know if she's headed to Rishi, too."

" _Speaking of_ in the morning—" Kira reached over to grab Cori's mug, "—you should get some sleep. I'll have Teeseven set a course for Rishi."

Knowing it was pointless to argue, Cori made her way back to her quarters, a bit more at ease knowing they now had a destination.

After a few hours of fitful sleep and unfocused meditation, Kira knocked on Cori's door. "Hey, Boss? Talked to the Major. They're having the same issues, so we're on the right track, at least."

Crawling out of bed, Cori rubbed tiredly at her eyes as her door slid open. "Are they headed to Rishi?"

She shook her head. "Havoc's dealing with some stuff on Belsavis, apparently. We're on our own. Unless… would your sister be involved with this, too?"

"I don't know. I haven't heard from Zaara in months," Cori admitted with a shrug. "I think you're right. For now, we're alone in this."

…

"You've contacted everyone, then?" Lana tugged her hood back as she re-entered the safehouse. Matters of galactic safety or not, making deals with pirates was considerably _low_ on the list of things she'd prefer to be doing; the faster Theron could reassemble their team, the better.

Theron didn't look up from the console he was working at. "Yeah. Had some trouble finding your agent — no surprise there," he admitted with a little shrug, "but I took care of it. Any luck on your end?"

"Yes. I—" Lana clamped her mouth shut, leaning against the table in the center of the room and crossing her arms. With a frown, she asked, "Are you certain this will even _work_? Rival pirate gangs — the entire premise is _absurd_."

"Anywhere else? No. Here?" Theron finally turned to face Lana, offering another shrug. "It may be the _only_ thing that'll work."

"I realize that. What worries me is that I doubt anyone other than Zaara would be able — or willing — to carry out such a pretense."

"So we'll have to work fast," Theron reasoned. "How quickly do you think our new friends will track them down once they arrive?"

"The ones I've spoken with? I can't be sure." Idle conversations and the din of cantina chatter moved to the forefront of Lana's mind; their plan, as she'd discovered, was having unintended consequences. "The other pirates may be doing our job for us," she admitted. "The reputation we've built for them is... receiving lots of attention. There are already wagers on which local crime lord will defeat either of the captains."

Theron let out a short, hard laugh. "That may work in our favor. I'm pretty sure our illustrious Major Sohms is incapable of passing up a fight."

Lana nodded, adding, "And assuming I'm right, and the Lord Wrath arrives with Zaara — they'll likely investigate, at the very least." She paused, brow furrowing. "What about the Jedi?"

Despite turning back to the console, Theron couldn't quite hide the beginnings of a smirk from Lana. "Master Cori? The Jedi you couldn't keep your eyes off of? I was wondering when you'd finally ask about her."

"I was referring to the probability that she would follow up on threats to her life," she clarified. This was neither the time nor the place and, ultimately, irrelevant.

"Based on her reputation, I'm guessing it's more likely she'll try to turn everyone here from a life of crime. Trust me — finding her won't be an issue."

"Good." Only somewhat settled by the news, Lana tapped her fingers against her arm, thinking. "In the meantime, I've had an idea on how to draw their attention. We're going to need some droids."


	2. Chapter 2

**29\. February 2016: chapter updated**

* * *

Rishi couldn't have been more different from Dromund Kaas.

With as much time as Rei had spent in Kaas City recently, on her best behavior for the Council, she'd grown used to the rain and the darkness and the stuffiness that came from both the climate and the culture. Everything in the city seemed to be cold and _rigid_ , imposing architecture and unwavering traditions and endless rules meant to keep outsiders _out_. But there was a richness to the city, also, a warmth and depth brought on by the pride that saturated everything the Sith did.

Not that Rei had been able to experience it — a Rattataki, no matter how skilled in the Force, had no real place in the Empire. Of course, by the time she'd been given a seat on the Dark Council, Rei had lost all interest in trying to educate herself on Sith culture.

Rishi, by contrast, was warm and bright and _loud_ ; where Kaas City had long, dark corridors where footsteps echoed, Raiders' Cove had crowded streets filled with people and chatter and busy market stalls. It was chaotic and overwhelming and _alive_ , and Rei loved it.

From the moment they'd stepped off the ship, Rei had struggled to keep up with Zaara. She wanted nothing more than to take in the sights, stopping at every other merchant to browse, but the agent was impossibly focused. Of course, Zaara was far more prepared than Rei; she'd traded in her usual dark coat and rifle for a short crimson jacket and a low-cut cream shirt, with a pair of blasters at her hip and an assortment of probes and grenades tucked safely out of view.

Still, it was clear she was enjoying herself. Zaara walked with an easy smirk and an effortless swagger, an arm locked with Vector's and her accent falling flat as she presented herself as some sort of pirate. Rei, however, saw no point in trying to hide who she was; even ignoring the fact that she lacked the intensive training Zaara had, Rei was still in the robes she typically wore while in Kaas City, her lightsaber clearly visible.

Not that her status seemed to be making an impression on anyone.

It took Rei far longer than she was used to to get service at one of the covered stalls selling brightly colored fruit. She took a few experimental bites as she searched through the crowd for Zaara, only to find that the togruta was already headed her way.

"That didn't take long," Zaara remarked, giving a pointed glance towards the bowl of fruit Rei held.

"I was curious, and it looked good," she defended, mouth still half full. " _And_ I'm on vacation. Have you—" Rei gave a little _hey_ in protest as Zaara grabbed one of the pieces of fruit. "Have you found whatever it is you're looking for?"

"I have. It wasn't even hard — I'm something of a local celebrity, it seems." Zaara grinned, but there was an edge to her words. "They even have holos of me, which is _quite_ the feat."

"You think it's Lana and Theron?" Rei popped another piece of fruit into her mouth, resisting the urge to make a face at the unexpected tartness.

Zaara didn't answer right away, frowning and craning her neck as she searched through the crowds. "Maybe. If they want to get my attention, they've done it a little _too_ well. It's not enough that people recognize me on sight, apparently. I've got a _rival_ to deal with, too."

Rei shrugged. "Just say the word. Dealing with rivals is a bit of a specialty of mine, you know."

"Let's hope that's not necessary. I need information, not bodies, for the moment."

* * *

"You're _sure_?"

"Well, _no_ , but close enough." Pivoting on her heel, Zaara took a few steps backwards as they entered the alleyway the coordinates had led to, the streets shadowed with the setting sun. "But there's _something_ about this that I just can't shake."

"What do you mean?" Rei followed behind Zaara and Vector, her bowl of half-finished fruit in one hand and Kai Zykken's datapad in the other. Even _she_ had been able to recognize Lana in the holorecording, but that didn't mean she was comfortable walking entirely unprepared into a back alley.

They were nearing the end of the alleyway before Zaara answered her. "The elaborate background, the tucked away safehouse — just this entire setup, it almost feels like an old Intelligence job." She glanced down to check the coordinates again, then pointed towards an open doorway. "Though, usually they warned me ahead of time."

Rei narrowed her eyes. "You're _enjoying_ this. The whole breadcrumb trail thing."

"Of course not." Zaara disappeared through the doorway, her voice echoing down the stairwell as Rei followed. "It's been too long since I've done straightforward undercover work, is all."

"If it's undercover work you're looking for, you're in luck. Can't promise it'll be straightforward, though."

Rei emerged into the main room of the safehouse behind Zaara, finding her grinning widely at Lana and Theron. "Well, if it isn't my two favorite people," Zaara greeted them cheerily. "If the rest of this job is anywhere near as well-prepared as what I've seen so far, it'll be a _breeze_."

"High praise indeed," Lana smiled, "especially given what little we've had to work with."

"And tracking my ship? That couldn't have been easy." Zaara moved into the center of the room, and Rei leaned against the table behind her, setting the datapad down and watching the rest of the group curiously. Back when they'd all been gathered on Manaan, things had been tense and uneasy between the Republic and Imperial teams. Now, there was no hint of the previous distrust.

"It _wasn't_ ," Theron said, mock annoyance coloring his tone.

"And yet you managed — I'm impressed." Zaara looked back suddenly, searching for Rei. "You remember Lana and Theron? And I'm sure you both remember Darth Nox."

Rei was aware a simple _yes_ would have sufficed, but that wouldn't have been quite as satisfying. "Of course I remember. I nearly lost my job trying to defend Lana, and Theron couldn't keep his eyes off me."

Theron seemed unamused, but Zaara gave a long sigh. "Nox, don't start. Besides, I'm guessing whatever it is we're here for, it's important? Unless you led us all this way for some forced vacation time."

"Unfortunately not." Expression sobering, Lana handed Zaara a datapad. "We've tracked the Revanites — and, we believe, Revan herself — here to Rishi, and to a group of pirates known as the Nova Blades."

" _Pirates_?" Rei echoed. It hadn't taken long to infer that the cove was run by various pirate gangs, and their hunt for information all morning had only confirmed that. The cantina gossip she'd overheard had suggested that the Nova Blades were one of the most powerful groups, but that didn't explain why Revan would need them. Rei was no stranger to utilizing unusual sources for power, but for the Nova Blades to have any use, there had to be some tactical advantage to controlling Rishi. "What's here that Revan wants?"

Instead of answering, Zaara simply handed her the datapad. "It doesn't matter. The Nova Blades — they run the place, basically? They've got money, numbers, slaves… They hold so much control here that the others are powerless to push back."

"Exactly. _Except_ ," Theron pointed out, "now it's your job to do just that — push back. Hence your colorful background."

Zaara frowned, crossing her arms. "You want to use a power play to hide our attacks against the Revanites."

"Why?" Rei interjected before anyone could answer. "You've already pointed out that the Nova Blades have everything they need to maintain control. Instead of _destroying_ that control, why not just _take_ it?"

Lana's brow furrowed. "You mean take control of the Nova Blades for ourselves? Presumably, it would take far too long, and there's too great a chance of our true motives being revealed. If this were a long-term plan, then perhaps. But, as it stands, we're short on time and this is the quickest way."

"She's right," Zaara added. "It's far from the _best_ plan, but given the timeframe, and without Intelligence or SIS resources, there's no way to efficiently infiltrate them."

"And we don't care what happens to Rishi or the Nova Blades once we're finished. Like Lana said," Theron shrugged, "we'd go about this differently if it were a long-term plan. But right now, our only focus is the Revanites."

Rei fought back the urge to point out that _everything_ was a long-term plan; they might have been far from Dromund Kaas and Sith politics, but a loyal pirate gang could come in handy one day, regardless. "Alright," she finally conceded. "Our focus is the Revanites. What, exactly, are the Nova Blades doing that's so vital to the Revanites?"

"You're with us, then, Nox?" Lana asked, not entirely hiding the surprise from her voice.

"Mmm, I suppose." Rei pulled her feet up onto the table, sitting cross-legged. "As long as this stays more interesting than council meetings. _Oh!_ " she added after a moment, "and I want the first shot at the pirates." She hadn't had a good fight against pirates since Hoth — and that had _almost_ made the cold worth it.

"You'll have plenty of chances, I'm sure. Shall we fill you in?" When Zaara nodded, Lana and Theron both launched into an explanation of the Nova Blades' operations — who they were, how much influence they held, where their main base was located, how they were connected to the Revanites. Rei scrolled through the datapad as they talked, finding much of the same information.

"And, of course, _nothing_ is going according to plan so far," Theron added. "We tried to get in touch with the whole team from Manaan, but it doesn't look like Darth Evris is coming, and Major Sohms hired some freelance captain to investigate."

"The _whole_ team?" Zaara echoed, cutting off Theron before he could finish. "What about Cori? Where's she in all this?"

"On her way," Lana assured her. "We believe she'll arrive within a day or two."

"Alright. Good. I should fill my team in, then we can get started."

"Yes," Rei agreed slowly, thoughts no longer focused on the Revanites. They had an important goal, certainly, but it would be a waste if she failed to get any work done while away. Rei was almost certain that Thanaton had devoted resources to Rishi at one point — she could easily be mistaken, considering the wide scope of Thanaton's projects and the fact that, even over a year after taking control of his power base, Rei was still unfamiliar with most of them. "I have a… _thing_ to check on. I'll be back… eventually. You know where to find me." She hopped off the table, not waiting for anyone's response before leaving.

She plodded back to the ship, mind racing as she tried to remember why exactly the planet was standing out in her mind, and why she connected it with Thanaton. Even by the time she was on the ship, pacing in front of the holoterminal as Zash's image flickered to life, Rei still hadn't come to a solid conclusion.

"Zash—" Rei cut off almost as quickly as she'd begun. "Actually, first, did you get my message to Andronikos?"

"Of course, my lord," Zash crooned, something resembling a smile crossing the Deshade's face. "In fact, everything is in perfect order here."

She rolled her eyes. "Save it." Rei didn't have time for either a lengthy report on council activities in her absence, or another of Zash's blatant attempts to earn favor. "Rishi. Thanaton had a team or something here, didn't he? I realized this morning the planet seemed familiar, but haven't been able to place why."

"Yes, I believe he did," Zash answered slowly, reaching for a datapad. She scrolled through it, finally offering after a few moments, "Ah, here we are. Lord Veijel, listed as a _seeker into matters exotic and arcane_." She rolled her eyes. "Thanaton was fond of that title, evidently. There must be a dozen others with that same designation.

Her pacing coming to a stop, Rei tapped her fingers impatiently against the holoterminal, repeating Veijel's name beneath her breath. The name wasn't familiar, but that didn't mean it wasn't worth investigating. "Any information on what he's actually _doing_?"

"No, but ever since you took over for Thanaton, it seems Veijel has been trying to get an audience with you."

Rei snorted. "Who _hasn't_ been?"

"He hasn't reported any new findings, but it might not hurt to check in with him anyway," Zash suggested lightly. "Seeing as you're on Rishi anyway. Maybe, send one of your apprentices. Remind him of his station and the price of wasting resources."

Crossing her arms, Rei considered the advice; she was always grateful for her suggestions, even if she didn't always admit to it. "I'll send Xalek," she decided, assuming that she herself would be busy with the Revanites, "and maybe Talos. I'm sure he'll know whether Veijel's work is worth investigating for myself. Or if it's even worth my continued support."

"I doubt it is. And I'm certain Xalek is capable of making that entirely clear."

"Yes, but I'll still be waiting for Talos' opinion," Rei cautioned, raising an eyebrow. "I'll keep you updated. Nothing else important has come up, I assume?" she asked, part of her mind wondering if there had been any news from Acina yet.

"A handful of messages asking how many council meetings you'll miss this time," Zash shrugged. "Your team from Manaan checked in to say the Republic politics are still keeping them from the facility. So, no, nothing important."

"Good. I'll be busy for a while, but forward me anything interesting."

"Yes, my lord."

As the holoterminal shut off, Ashara's head poked out from one of the back rooms. "So, by _busy_ , do you mean you'll have something for me to do? _Other_ than telling me to just _stay on the ship_?"

Rei crossed her arms, regarding her apprentice with amusement. "Patience is virtue, you know."

Ashara let out a loud peal of laughter. " _Right_."

"We'll have plenty to do," Rei assured her, unable to hold back a grin of her own. "We're just waiting on some Jedi for now."

* * *

"I win." Rei placed a final card down on the floor, leaning back against the couch with a smug grin.

"That's three in a row," Ashara protested, gathering her own cards up. "You're cheating. You're _not_ this good at pazaak."

"If you're leaving," Rei called as Ashara pulled herself up from the floor, tossing the cards onto the table in the center of the safehouse, "does this mean I win?You give up? You'll fix 2V's _organization_ of the cargo bay? _Or_ ," she added, "do we try for best five out of nine?"

Ashara shot Rei an _are you kidding_ look as she pulled out one of the chairs from the table. "It's four to one. I'll pass. And, _no_ , I'm not fixing that mess. It's your fault for telling the droid to _make itself useful_ in the first place."

Rei settled onto the couch, tucking her feet up under her. Zaara and Lana had been gone all morning — something about catching up on official Imperial business — and they'd evidently decided the night before that they wouldn't move against the Nova Blades until Cori arrived. With Talos and Xalek out investigating Lord Veijel, Rei had little to do for the time being.

She glanced around the room; Lokin, Temple, and Theron were all buried in their own work, and Rei was still stubbornly declaring the trip a _vacation_ until they needed her help against the Revanites. "As exciting as this is," she sighed, "I'll be heading down to the markets. If Zaara needs me, tell her I'm busy."

"Bring me back some food?" Ashara twisted in her seat to look back at Rei.

"No," she scoffed. "You want it, you get it yourself."

Ashara sighed before following after her. "It was worth a shot. It works with Andronikos, sometimes."

"Do I look like Andronikos? But if you're coming with me," Rei commented lightly, changing the subject as they exited the safehouse, "you should grab something quick instead of going all the way down to the cantina. I found this shop yesterday and wanted to show—"

She was cut off by a loud growl from just beyond the alleyway; its source was a hulking alien whose species she'd never seen before. " _You! Finally I've found you. Where's your friend — the one who killed my brother_?"

"Unfortunately, my friends and I haven't killed _anyone_ here, except — _wait_ , you're not talking about that rodian, are you?"

From behind her, Ashara groaned. "You were gone for an _hour_ yesterday, Nox. How did you manage _this_?"

The creature charged forward before she could answer; lashing out with the Force, Rei tried to keep him from barreling straight into Ashara, but her apprentice was well out of the way before he would've reached her. Between the two of them, they dealt with the alien quickly; as Rei clipped her lightsaber back and smoothed her robes, her holocomm began to chime.

Theron's image shimmered to life as Rei answered the call. "Miss me already?"

He didn't respond, instead asking, "What was that? Our security systems picked up your… visitor."

"It's taken care of," Ashara reassured him. "I think that was _dealing_ with an issue, not creating one."

"Alright, just checking. Can't be too careful. Hey — Lokin says it looked like Ashara took a hit earlier and wants to know if he should come meet you or if everything's fine."

"It's fine," Ashara answered, a bit too quickly. "I'll need a new robe," she admitted, pulling at the edge of her robe, which had a clean split from her waist to her mid-calf, "but I'm fine. And don't worry, I'll keep Nox from making any new problems."

As they headed towards the markets, Rei gave Ashara a pointed look; she was unsatisfied with her answer, and just because, apparently, neither of them fully trusted Lokin, it didn't mean she was going to just let her apprentice walk around injured. "Is everything alright or should I have Talos meet us?"

"I'm okay. Maybe a little sore, but okay. I _do_ need a new robe though — I'm not walking around like this."

"Good," Rei beamed. "We can spend the rest of the day wasting time _and_ credits, just as I'd planned."


	3. Chapter 3

**4\. May 2016: chapter updated  
 _A/N:_** _somehow, chapter three is still a mess. I rambled a bit on Revan and it got a bit long, so I've moved that to the bottom_

* * *

 _"Twice transmuted and reborn to the Mother." – Veijel believes the array refers to Darth Nox. A credible assumption, considering circumstances on Balmorra, with the Sith spirits, and Belsavis. Coordinates attached. Common sense says it isn't wise to investigate, but curiosity says otherwise._

 _Nox – since I know you'll be eager to seek out such a curious source of potential power, I highly suggest not going alone. I have no doubts that you'll understand the dangers that are likely going to be involved._

With a groan, Rei let her datapad clatter to the table, rubbing tiredly at her eyes as she tried to wrap her mind around the notes Talos had left on his report. Most of he'd gathered from Veijel was, as Rei had expected, completely useless. Talos had, however, highlighted a few sections with notes of his own, a collection of thoughts on Veijel's various projects and summaries of the more important reports.

Instead of forcing herself through the entire lengthy document, Rei had been able to simply skip to the important sections. Now, however, she was beginning to wonder if it would be better to actually read the entire thing.

It wasn't making sense.

"Everything okay over there?"

Rei glanced up at Theron, having forgotten that she wasn't alone in the safehouse. With another long sigh, she propped her chin in her hands. "My lieutenant and I are taking over the galaxy with comm arrays and the ghosts in my head — or something like that, apparently. And on the Empire's credits, too."

He stared back at her for a moment as if waiting for clarification, brow raised in skepticism. "Okay then."

"You don't believe me," she accused.

"I never said that."

Turning back to the datapad, Rei scrolled through a bit further only to find that the report on the comm arrays continued on for several pages. "I don't really believe it either, but stranger things have happened." She felt her face scrunch in concentration as she considered ignoring Talos' advice and going alone. It wasn't the _pirates_ he was worried about, she was sure, but that wasn't enough to sway her. She set the datapad down again, and noticed Theron eyeing her warily.

She didn't frighten him — she'd known that since Manaan. But Rei knew she made him uneasy, unnerved him in a way Lana didn't. Some part of her knew rationally that it was likely because he and Lana had been working together for several months at that point, where she herself had only shown up a few days before. Still — _fear_ was good, cynical resignation that she'd zap lightning at someone at some point was mildly annoying.

Besides, Rei hadn't been given any reason to zap lightning at _anyone_ , least of all Theron. For her, it was enough that Zaara trusted him — _trust_ , of course, being relative with the agent; Zaara knew she could count on Theron within the mission itself, but even Rei had noticed the increased security measures she'd been taking.

As for Rei herself, she had no reason not to trust Theron. As far as she was concerned, the only one who posed any threat to her while she was on Rishi was Lana, and _she_ claimed to be outside of Sith power plays.

"You don't have to look at me like that, you know," Rei pointed out lightly, not bothering to hide her amusement at Theron's discomfort. "Like I'm going to turn on you at any moment."

" _Right_ ," he scoffed. "Forgive me if I don't exactly take your word for it."

"Trust me," she grinned, standing and tucking the datapad under one arm, "I have my own subordinates to betray. They're far more annoying and far less good looking." Flashing the most innocent smile she could muster, Rei didn't wait for a response, instead heading outside the safehouse to look for Talos.

* * *

Lana waited until she was absolutely certain that Nox had left before she made her way downstairs from the stuffy room she'd claimed as a bedroom.

It wasn't that she didn't like Nox — she hardly knew the woman well enough to judge, really — but she was familiar with her type, and if her relatively brief history with the Dark Council was anything to go by, Nox would more than live up to Lana's expectations. Despite Nox's relatively cheery attitude, Sith like her were ruthless; every move was deliberate, every act a carefully coordinated power play.

Even worse — Nox was reckless. Which, really, was the exact _opposite_ of what they needed at the moment.

However, Nox had been civil so far, even if she'd left as they'd tried to fill her and Zaara in on the situation with the Revanites. And if she was as powerful as her reputation suggested and as eager as Zaara claimed, that was enough for Lana.

"You can go over the data as many times as you like," Lana teased as she rounded the corner into the safehouse's main room, "it's not going to change." She wasn't surprised to find Theron already up, especially today; they weren't planning on making a move on the Nova Blades until Cori arrived, but they _did_ need to be prepared to act soon.

"Actually," Theron countered, "I was checking on your Jedi. Unless we want her wondering around the cove, someone should probably get ready to meet her when she lands. You have _remarkable_ timing, you know," he added after a moment. "You _just_ missed Darth Nox."

"Oh?"

"I'm sure that wasn't at all completely intentional."

"Not at all," Lana agreed lightly, offering an innocent smile. "There's nothing wrong with Nox," she defended after a moment. "She's rash, of course, and has a reputation for dealing with problems rather… swiftly. And violently. But I do believe Agent Ven was right to say that Nox will be a huge asset against the Revanites."

"If she even bothers to help." Theron looked like he had more to say, but something on the console screen caught his attention. "If I'm right — and I should be — Master Cori just landed. I was going to send Zaara, but she headed out earlier with Jakarro to scout the area. I can send one of her team, or..?"

"I'll go." The words nearly came out too quickly, and Lana frowned; Theron was already hung up on the idea that there was some sort of mutual attraction between her and Cori — there was no need to reinforce the notion. Clearing her throat and hoping to draw the attention away from herself, she asked, "Why don't you think Nox is willing to help?"

"Maybe because she's spent half her time so far dealing with something else?" Theron suggested with a shrug, sarcasm coloring his voice. "Whatever she's on Rishi for, it's not to deal with the Revanites."

Lana pursed her lips; Nox _had_ seemed distracted by something else ever since arriving, but there had been no doubts that she was fully committed to helping. "She seemed focused enough on taking down pirates yesterday."

"Yeah, well, Nox said a lot yesterday."

It took a considerable amount of effort for her to hold back a wry grin. Nox's flirtations hadn't gone unnoticed by anyone, and it amused Lana that Theron seemed so perturbed by the attention when earlier he'd so easily brushed it off. As Lana slipped on her hood — not the best as far as disguises went, but suitable considering the short amount of time she'd be gone — she remarked, "Not fond of having a dark lord as an admirer?"

" _Admirer_ is one way to put it." He frowned for a moment before sighing. "Don't you have a Jedi to rescue?"

"Yes, yes, I'm going." Lana adjusted the loose mask so that only her eyes were left uncovered. "Wherever Zaara and Nox have gone off to, I suggest you get them back here soon. Now that everyone's arrived, we really should act as quickly as possible."

Theron gave another sigh, dismissing Lana with a wave. "Don't worry, I'll have everything ready by the time you get back."

Lana made her way down through the safehouse and out into the alleyway, not terribly concerned that it would be difficult to find Cori; reaching out with the Force, she could easily sense the Jedi amongst the crowds. She was more concerned that _she_ would be recognized, and kept her head down as she walked.

Even without the Force, Lana would've been able to spot Cori from the opposite side of the cove; unlike the grimy, suspicious pirates that made up most of the crowds, Cori walked with purpose, her pale armor spotless. A droid followed alongside her dutifully.

Maneuvering around one of the market stalls, Lana slipped behind Cori. "Stay quiet, and follow me." She placed a hand on Cori's arm, leading her back towards the safehouse.

"Lana?"

"Apologies for the deception. Theron and I have been taking every precaution lately."

Cori pressed closer to Lana — a fact she tried to ignore — as they squeezed through the crowded street. "Is it that bad?" Before Lana had a chance to answer, Cori suddenly perked up, glancing over her shoulder. "Oh! You remember Teeseven?"

The little droid let out a series of beeps. _T7 + Jedi = ready to help / Revanites = don't stand a chance_

"Of course." Lana had only met T7 briefly while Cori was on Manaan, but it was hard to forget; the droid had an unusual amount of _fire_ for a T7 unit. "What about the rest of your crew?"

The Jedi's lips twisted into a dissatisfied frown. "I'll have to let them know what's going on. I had visions, but... we couldn't be certain it was you and Theron leading us here." She paused, her steps slowing. "What _is_ going on, Lana?"

Lana didn't answer until they were a safe distance down the alleyway the safehouse was hidden within. "A lot," she admitted, tugging the hood and mask off. "We've tracked the Revanites here and located their allies, and we're now prepared to finally move against them. Our _original_ plan was to gather the team from Rakata Prime, but…" She sighed. "There have been a few complications."

"Complications?"

"Major Sohms and Darth Evris have elected not to join us. Agent Ven arrived yesterday, but—"

"Zaara's already here?" Cori interrupted, before promptly apologizing.

Lana nodded. "You remember Darth Nox? From Manaan? She came with Zaara, and I believe that the three of you will be more than enough to take on the Revanites. Or, the Nova Blades," she corrected, "their allies here on Rishi."

Cori was silent for several moments, lips pursed in thought. "I guess we should get started then," she finally decided. She glanced up towards the safehouse, then at T7, then back at Lana. "I know there's more important things," Cori admitted with a smile, "but it _is_ good to see you again."

"Likewise." Lana returned the smile, ignoring just how pleased she was to be working with Cori again.

* * *

"Well, Agent, fill me in." Andronikos crossed his arms, expression neutral as he waited for the togruta to explain. When Zash had told him Rei was headed to Rishi, he'd expected to find her knee-deep in trouble, dragging a protesting Ashara along with her.

Not… _this_.

The coordinates Rei had sent him had led to a veritable menagerie of Sith and Jedi and spies, and no one seemed quite certain as to Rei's whereabouts. Ashara, at least, was protesting the trip as Andronikos had expected.

Zaara buried her head in her hands, groaning. The Jedi sitting across from her gave a short sigh. "The galaxy is ending and, as usual, we're here to stop it."

From the couch she was seated at, Ashara frowned. "Nox said we were going to take a short trip to help out Zaara with something, and instead we're stuck here for Force knows how long while she and Talos and Zash do… something."

A smile tugged at the edge of Andronikos' lips. Maybe Rei _was_ knee-deep in trouble — whenever she and Zash went traipsing around remote planets, it never tended to end well. "She didn't say what?"

"She left this morning to check out some coordinates right outside the cove," Theron supplied.

"And we can't afford to be preoccupied with Darth Nox's absence," Lana interjected, lips pursed in concentration as she surveyed the group. "We're more than ready to begin, if we're through with interruptions."

"New plan?" Zaara suggested, lifting her head just enough to peer up at the Sith.

"Is it necessary?"

The agent pulled herself up so she was sitting straight, massaging at her temples for a moment before explaining. "Our best bet is still to split into two groups — one for sabotage, one to thin their numbers. I just think we should reconsider who's doing what. Andronikos would be valuable help."

"So, what? We send in your team and Andronikos with Cori?" Theron asked dryly, raising an eyebrow.

"No." She rolled her eyes. "Andronikos, Kira, and I will take care of the Nova Blades. Cori, Temple, and T7 can take care of the rest. Don't worry, we'll play fair."

Andronikos watched the exchange with amusement; he still didn't have a firm grasp on why exactly such a group was gathered in a crowded safehouse on Rishi, but somehow it didn't surprise him that Rei had gotten herself tied up with them.

* * *

Ashara sat slouched forward onto the table, her cheek resting on her folded arms. She toyed absentmindedly with a discarded cup, sliding it across the table with her free hand. The safehouse was empty, save for her, Lana, and Theron; the latter two were busy monitoring the mission progress, leaving Ashara with little to do.

"What does the Empire teach about Revan?" she asked suddenly, propping her head up on one hand. She'd asked Rei about it months before, after Manaan, but she hadn't known. Unsurprising, considering Rei had spent as much time in Imperial schools as Ashara. Which was to say, _none._

She'd learned about Revan as a Jedi, as a cautionary tale of the dark side and the power of redemption. Not the tale told to Sith, she expected.

Lana was silent for a moment, hesitating before turning to face Ashara. "Revan was a powerful leader as a Sith lord. A brilliant tactician. She was betrayed by the Jedi and eventually turned her back on the order entirely before she disappeared. There's… a lot of gaps in her history."

Ashara gave a quiet _hmph_ before turning her gaze back to the empty cup, poking and prodding at it.

"Not quite what the Jedi teach?"

She glanced up at Lana, finding the Sith expectant—curious, even. She stifled a sigh. "The Jedi like to focus on the part where she turned from the dark side and devoted herself to the order." Ashara had learned the whole story, of course — about Revan as a Jedi, then corrupted as a Sith, only to have her identity stripped from her by the Jedi council, replaced by Layla Karris, the woman who walked the path of the light side but remained independent from the Jedi. "If they could just forget the part where she left, I think they would."

"And, I would assume, her marriage to Bastila Shan?"

"Their marriage was never _official_. They just lived together until Revan disappeared, and raised a bunch of kids together." The cup tipped over, rolling across the tabletop. Ashara reached out with the Force to keep it from clattering to the ground, then rested her head back in her hands. Where Layla had completely turned from the Jedi **A** order, Bastila had at least _attempted_ to remain on good terms.

"As absolutely riveting as this conversation is," Theron interrupted, "we'll have to cut it short." The safehouse holoterminal sprang to life, revealing Zaara and Temple. "If the Nova Blades' comm chatter is anything to go by, you've been fairly successful?"

" _Fairly_ successful? How insulting." Zaara grinned. "But, yes, we've accomplished what we came here to do. We've done enough terrorizing here to send a very clear message. And Kira and Andronikos have gotten on incredibly well. It's unnerving."

"We also believe we've found a suitable new target," the Ensign chimed in. "Thanks to the lieutenant you pointed us to earlier, we've received the location of the Nova Blades' slave camps. An attack there would cripple their operations considerably."

Lana gave a short bob of her head in agreement. "Theron and I had discussed the possibility. It does seem to be the logical next step."

Ashara had perked up at the mention of slave camps; there was little that put Nox in a better mood than taking out slavers. Between that and Andronikos' return, she might actually be in a good mood when she got back. Either way, it wasn't a chance Ashara was going to pass up. "Take Nox with you," she piped up.

Zaara cocked her head. "What was that?"

"Ashara says to take Nox with you," Theron relayed. "Which is up to you, but…" He shrugged.

"No, she's right, it's a good idea. Cori can stay here to cover us, I'll coordinate with Jakarro for transport, and Nox and I can get to work liberating slaves. We'll call it a day and be back before dinner. Everyone's happy."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**  
1\. revan - I was originally going to use the "canon" revan bc it's not a huge deal as far as this fic goes, but I'm a bit attached to my revan and I'm not even a fan of "canon" revan anyway. like I said, not a big deal, and won't even come up again until somewhere like chapter 20 or so_

 _2\. that said, I'm fond of the idea of the empire and republic using revan's story in different ways and utilizing different aspects to their advantage. I wanted to try and touch on that without going too in depth bc it's not the focus_


	4. Chapter 4

**29\. February 2016: chapter updated**

* * *

Rei stared back at the comm array, not bothering to stand after the explosion had knocked her ungracefully to the ground. She sat a few meters away, hands fisted in the loose grass as she tried to steady her whirling mind. Whatever it was Veijel had sent her trailing after, she was going to _kill_ him for not warning her about… this. Her whole body tingled, like she'd had too much caf in too short a time, yet this was not _quite_ as unpleasant.

It was, however, completely unasked for.

" _Increased by one solar cycle_ ," Rei muttered as soon as she was steady enough to trust her voice wouldn't waver. "Are you… Talos, does that mean the same thing to you as it does to me?"

He hesitated, glancing warily at the comm array before answering. "Yes, my lord, I believe it does."

Rei let out a few short curses. She had to be the _one_ Sith with absolutely no interest in immortality, and evidently the universe had seen fit to custom tailor her for it anyway. "Xalek, return to Veijel," she ordered, twisting to look at her apprentice, "and inform him that Talos and I will investigate the rest of these arrays. If he does not have an adequate explanation prepared by the time I return, then he is of no use to me and will suffer accordingly."

Xalek bobbed his head in a quick nod of understanding. "Yes, master."

"And tell him that if he knew — or even _suspected_ — that these machines could provide a measure of immortality, that his project is going to come to a very violent end."

"Yes, master."

"Apologies, my lord," Talos interjected as Xalek left, "but I don't believe Veijel truly believed the devices would respond to you this way. He seemed… skeptical. Not of the project or it's value, but that it would produce whatever results Thanaton expected."

Shoulders drooping, Rei glanced up to where Talos stood worriedly over her. It was no doubt taking him an extraordinary amount of effort to keep from whipping out a med scanner to ensure the comm array hadn't done any damage; Rei rarely indulged Talos' concerns, though she did always appreciate them. "You think Thanaton had these studied because he thought he could attain immortality through them?"

"Perhaps. It's impossible to say for certain, but he very obviously valued this project highly, considering he kept Veijel isolated out here for so long."

Rei nodded slowly, still trying to grasp the full extent of what had happened with the array. She'd simply approached it, and — how much time had passed? A second? A minute? More? Before she could ask Talos for details, her holocomm chimed. Given the circumstances, she very nearly ignored it.

She cleared her throat before answering, hoping to somehow hide how overwhelmed she felt at the moment. "Agent," Rei greeted, eyeing Zaara's image warily.

"If you aren't busy," Zaara began, raising an eyebrow at Rei's disheveled appearance, "I could use your help."

Rei gave a long sigh. "How urgent is it? I have a disobedient Sith to knock some sense into."

"Not urgent, but we found the location of the Nova Blades' slave camps. We're about to head up there and put an end to their operations. Ashara thought you'd want in."

"Very well, I suppose Veijel can wait. Send me the location and Talos and I will be there in a moment."

"Good." Zaara glanced off in the distance for a moment, eyes narrowing and lips pursing. "Don't take too long. We cleared the place out pretty well, but I'd rather not have to wait here any longer than necessary."

Pulling herself to her feet, Rei gave a long sigh and motioned for Talos to follow. The coordinates she met Zaara at weren't far, and with transportation from Jakarro it didn't take them long to reach the slavers' island. Rei and Zaara went ahead, while Temple and Talos remained behind to prepare an escape for any slaves they liberated. Cori, Andronikos, and Kira waited back on the main island, keeping the landing area cleared of any Nova Blades that might have come to retaliate.

Rei hadn't expected the Nova Blades' slavers to be any sort of challenge for her, but she hadn't expected them to be quite so frail, either. She tore through the slaver's island easily, leaving dozens of bodies in her wake. While Rei cleared out each section of the island, Zaara trailed behind, releasing the slaves that the Nova Blades had locked up.

With as wound up as she was after discovering Veijel was sending her blindly stumbling after the secret to immortality, Rei would've been perfectly content with fighting her way through _any_ sort of camp. Slavers were almost too good to be true.

As the last group of slavers fell, Rei checked in with Zaara before making one last sweep across the island. "They're done for," she announced, voice filled with satisfaction.

"Good." Zaara was kneeling in front of one of the large transportation crates, messing with the locking mechanism until the crate creaked open. "I've got a few more of these to get," she groaned, propping the door open on her shoulder as a handful of human men and women rushed free. "Head up to the docks," she instructed, "we've got transportation for you there."

Rei propped her hands on her hips, scanning the area for the crates Zaara was opening. There were only three more she could see, and it didn't seem to take Zaara long to open them. "I'll check in with Temple and Talos," she decided, knowing Zaara would likely make the same suggestion anyway, "and let them know we're almost finished here."

Wiping the sweat from her face with the loose neckline of her shirt, Zaara gave a little grunt of agreement. "Tell Jakarro we've only got one more load. There's a holoterminal up there — if you can get it working, let Lana and Theron know we'll be on our way back soon." She shot Rei a tired grin. "I think we've earned a long night at the cantina, hmm?"

"You? _Have fun_?" Rei cocked an eyebrow, tilting her head a bit as if to ask _are you okay?_ "You're going to make everyone think you're good company."

"Don't worry," Zaara laughed, shaking her head, "I'll drag you down with me."

"I'm _wonderful_ company, and you know it."

"Then _prove it_ , and quit wasting all your charm on Theron." With that last remark, Zaara offered a challenging smirk before sauntering off to take care of the rest of the slaves.

By the time Rei came up with a witty enough retort, Zaara was far out of earshot, and Rei had just enough dignity to hold herself back from yelling after the agent anyway. " _Wasting_ my charm?" she grumbled to herself, marching back up to where the others were waiting. "It's not a waste. I'm incredibly charming." In truth, Rei was far more concerned with Zaara's suggestion that her flirtations were ineffective than she was with the comment on Theron. As amusing as it was to wonder when he'd no longer simply ignore her, Rei had no desire to actually see anything through.

Of course, she wouldn't argue if something _did_ happen, either. As far as she was concerned, it was a win-win situation.

"My lord." Talos' voice drew Rei from her thoughts as she approached.

"We're nearly finished," she declared. "Zaara believes we'll only need one more trip after this one. Ensign, get Theron and Lana on the holoterminal there." Rei was about to have Talos check in with Cori when the most recent group of freed slaves approached her.

"Thank you," one of the men offered. "You — and the rest of the Howling Tempest — you're fighting against the Nova Blades. They locked me up for three years, some of us longer." He glanced back at the rest of the group.

Despite being a good deal shorter than him, Rei did her best to glare down at the man. "Save your thanks for the others," she ordered. It wasn't that she didn't sympathize with the relief of finally being free, she just wasn't equipped to _express_ it. Temple and Talos, at least, would be appreciative.

"We want in," he insisted. "We want to work for you — if the Howling Tempest is taking down the Nova Blades, we want to help."

Struck with a sudden sense of inspiration, Rei crossed her arms, pacing a bit as she pondered their request. "You may operate under the name of the Howling Tempest," she decided, eyes narrowing in concentration. "But you will not report to — or work for — their captain. Your allegiance now lies with me. You owe your lives to Darth Nox, dark lord of the Sith. Understood?"

"We don't care _who's_ taking down the Nova Blades," one of the women in the back piped up. "We just want a piece of the action."

The man who'd originally addressed Rei nodded. "Anything you need."

She dismissed him with a wave. "I expect that you'll be ready when I require you."

As the last of the group clambered into the crate for Jakarro to pick up, Talos remarked, "First a cult, now a pirate gang." He chuckled. "You do have quite the _unique_ power base, my lord."

"The Imperial military only has so many corrupt moffs and generals to utilize," Rei shrugged. "Besides, it's more fun this way."

"What's more fun?" Zaara asked, breathless, making her way up the wooden docks towards the rest of the group. Not waiting for Rei to answer, she turned to Temple. "Have you got it working?"

The ensign gave a curt _yes, sir_ and stepped out of the way as Lana and Theron's images flickered to life on the holoterminal. "We're finished here," Zaara reported, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Yeah, we're picking up some comm chatter. You've done a good job disrupting their operations, but," Theron paused, frowning, his attention on something out of view. "We might have a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

Lana shook her head. "Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow," she interjected. "You've all earned a bit of rest for today."

* * *

"Ah — Darth Nox, your apprentice—"

With a rough wave of her hand, Rei carelessly dismissed Veijel as she entered the room. "You've informed him of the situation, Xalek?" she asked, keeping her eyes locked on the Sith lord.

Despite the rest of their team calling it a day, Rei had one last order of business to attend to.

"Yes, master." Xalek crossed the room to join her, glaring down at Veijel. "We relayed the message and waited, as you commanded. The pirate you mentioned showed up a half hour ago."

"Good." Rei marched to where Veijel sat, confusion plain on his face. "Those pirates are your new masters," she crooned, offering a look that was almost pitying. "They report directly to me. They're going to help you discover the secret to those arrays you sent me after."

"But, my lord, they're—"

"Slaves?" she questioned, tone saccharine. Rei had no doubt that Veijel's indigence had more to do with the fact that the ragged group of pirates was, well, a ragged group of pirates, and less to do with their recent status as slaves. Still, she wasn't going to begrudge herself a bit of fun. Not here, on Rishi, far away from council politics and with more than enough scapegoats on which to blame her reckless behavior. "Regardless of whatever they were before, they are now my servants. As are you."

"Understood, my lord."

She turned to address her apprentice. "You've done well, Xalek. I want you to remain here, to ensure Veijel and the rest of our new friends stay in line. I need Talos for now, but I'll send him to assist you tomorrow." She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, eyes sweeping across the room and finally settling on Veijel. "Don't make me come back."

* * *

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me," Kira challenged, more focused on the conversation than the group's card game.

Andronikos set his cards face down, holding up his hands in surrender. "I get the feeling Nox doesn't want me sharing _all_ her secrets."

From where she was seated, Cori could just see Nox, sprawled ungracefully on one of the couches at the far end of the room and scrolling through a datapad. "Mm. Fear me, and all that," she droned, waving a hand towards the table.

"Well, I've got a good story," Kira decided, nudging Cori with an elbow. "Remember—"

"No," Cori cut her off, laughing despite herself. She had no idea what Kira had come up with to match the increasingly questionable stories Andronikos had been sharing all evening, but it would likely be largely exaggerated and at least a little embarrassing. "You don't get to share any stories."

"Hey," Kaliyo piped up, pulling her feet off the table to lean forward conspiratorially, "I've got one. Back when we were still with Intelligence, me and Zaara shut down half of Kaas City. We were down at the Intelligence Headquarters, messed with the security, stole some files that shouldn't even exist, stuff like that." She shrugged. "Doesn't even _touch_ some of the stuff I've done,though. Zaara's too concerned with playing by the rules most of the time."

Cori perked up at the mention of her sister, curious but not sure that was a story she really wanted specifics on.

Kira snorted. "Yeah, we've done worse to Kaas City."

" _Kira_."

"Calm down, boss," she grinned. "I know when to stop talking. Besides," Kira added, shooting a smirk in Andronikos' direction, "they wouldn't believe me if we told them."

Andronikos, Kaliyo, and Kira continued trading continuously more wild stories, their card game all but forgotten. Cori had joined only out of a desire to socialize, feeling considerably less outnumbered by the Imperials and Sith when they were all relaxed like this. Even Lana had eventually joined, taking a seat beside Cori and watching the others with thinly veiled amusement. Nox's apprentice — Ashara? — had refused to join and instead watched Andronikos, occasionally asking him or even Kaliyo for pointers.

Of everyone gathered in the safehouse, only Darth Nox and Theron remained away from the now-crowded table, both buried deep in work. Nox, at least, looked ready to toss the datapad aside the moment she was finished.

"No stories of your own to add?" Lana asked quietly, sitting closer than Cori had realized.

The Jedi shifted in her seat, biting at her lip as she debated how to answer. "Plenty of stories," she admitted, "just none I want to share."

She offered an understanding smile. "Just as well," Lana shrugged, "I find it hard to believe that anyone could top breaching an ancient vault to recruit SCORPIO."

" _See_?" Kaliyo smirked, propping her feet back on the table. "The Sith agrees. I win."

That was enough to bring Nox over to the table. "No, no, no." She sat next to Andronikos, folding her hands delicately atop the table. "You don't get to _win_ until I'm finished."

Andronikos rolled his eyes. "Here we go."

Nox was halfway through a description of some ancient tomb when Zaara walked in, eyes wide, looking more shaken than Cori had ever seen. She stood, not sure what to do but wanting to offer some comfort to her sister. "What happened?" She knew Zaara had gone to investigate a message she'd been given — either from an old Intelligence contact or someone looking to start trouble, she'd said.

Cori assumed she'd found trouble.

Despite the collective concern, Zaara shook her head and motioned for Kaliyo to follow her. "We don't…" she began, then paused to clear her throat. "We have to leave. Not— I mean, we aren't _leaving_ , there's just something I have to see to and I need your help. Vector's coming, too."

The safehouse remained silent until Kaliyo spoke. "What's going on, Agent?"

"We don't have time," she argued coldly, frowning. "We have a two day window and we _can't_ miss it."

"Right. Okay. Coming." Kaliyo tossed her cards onto the table before following.

"Zaara, wait," Cori called after them, making it to the stairs before Zaara stopped her.

"Intelligence business, Cori," Zaara sighed, offering what Cori assumed was supposed to be an encouraging smile. "Someone I care very deeply for needs my help, and I'm not going to let her down again." She glanced down towards the door, then sighed again. "Two days. I need Lokin, but I'll send Raina to meet you tomorrow. Tell Theron and Lana I'll let them know as soon as I'm on my way back."

With that, she was gone, and Cori trudged back into the main room. "Intelligence business," she explained, not certain whether the rest of the expectant group was concerned or just nosy. "She'll be back in two days."

"Two days?" Kira echoed. "That should be plenty of time for us to look into—" She paused, glancing up at Cori. "—that thing you wanted to look into."

Cori gave a thoughtful nod, taking her seat next to Lana again. She was glad Kira had caught herself; whatever _presence_ Cori had been sensing on Rishi, it was almost painfully familiar. She'd been trying to ignore the fact that she had a good idea of what it was, for the simple fact that she wasn't sure she could face the disappointment if she was wrong.

Nox slumped forward, resting her head on her hands. "This means I'll have to finally deal with Pyron and all his reports," she mumbled, voice muffled.

From behind them, Theron sighed. "Let's just hope nothing important comes up in the next two days, then."


	5. Chapter 5

There weren't many things that could get Rei out of bed before she wanted to be.

Most days she was the first one awake, but her decision to sleep in — a not-so-subtle attempt to avoid tackling all the work she'd been putting off since leaving for Rishi — was promptly ruined by Ashara insisting that Lana and Theron needed her.

Rei had assumed that whatever it was they needed, it couldn't be _that_ important, and had followed Zaara's example to dress down a bit. Eschewing her typical robes, she pulled on a hooded tunic and some comfortable pants and boots. She was still half asleep when she left, barely remembering to grab her lightsaber and datapad as she followed Ashara back to where Lana and Theron would be waiting at the safehouse.

Considering she still hadn't woken up entirely, Rei likely would've walked straight over T7 if the droid hadn't let out a series of beeps as they approached.

 _Sith + Apprentice = Ready?_

"What? No. Do I look ready?" Rei squinted down T7, rubbing tiredly at her eyes. "What, exactly, am I not ready for?"

She glanced back up to find Theron giving her an amused look. "Good morning to you, too."

" _Two days_ ," Rei enunciated. "We were supposed to have _two days_ without having to worry about any of this." She let her datapad clatter onto the table and went to clip her lightsaber to her belt before realizing she'd mixed the two up. Retrieving her saber from the table, she groaned, "If you expect me to go around like Zaara does, with the…" Rei trailed off, hands articulating wildly as she tried to find the words she was searching for. "The spy thing."

"Nothing of the sort," Lana assured her. "We came across some… interesting information early this morning," she explained. "It seems we may lose the Nova Blades as a link to the Revanites unless we act quickly. Zaara is busy, of course. Cori and Kira left about an hour ago to attend to some other business, but we've asked them to head back as soon as they're able."

Rei pulled herself up to sit cross-legged on the table. "How are we losing them as a link?" Doing her best to hold back a yawn, she added, "And what are we doing about it?"

"Apparently Revan doesn't see eye to eye with the head of the Nova Blades, Commodore Margok. With the damage we've been able to do so far, they're blaming each other, they're both threatening to stop helping the other, and neither one thinks it's their fault." Theron waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing exciting, except that we lose our only solid lead if they _do_ break off."

"We've also learned of another former ally of the Revanites," Lana interjected. "A woman named _Torch_. She leads a group of Mandalorians nearby. We'll do our best to find out more on her, but it's up to you and Cori to gather information from the Commodore."

Leaning back on her hands, Rei pursed her lips as she took in all the new information. "By _gather information_ , you mean…?"

"We _mean_ slicing into their central systems, which is why you'll be taking Teeseven with you." With a pointed glance at Rei, Theron added, "We _don't_ need an interrogation. We've already got everything figured out, so once we get past their security the information should be quick and easy to get."

Rei gave an exaggerated sigh. " _Fine_." Tapping her fingers unevenly against the table, she pondered the information for a moment before asking, "So why send both of us? I could take care of something like this by myself and probably still be back before Cori."

"You may not need the level of subterfuge Zaara typically employs, but you _do_ need to continue to operate under the Howling Tempest name," Lana pointed out. "With the Revanites taking notice of your activities, it's even more important that they don't discover our true goals. You're not just going to retrieve information, but to make one final strike against the Nova Blades."

"Take out the Commodore, destroy their supply caches, thin their numbers — basically anything to make this look like you're wiping them out."

She shrugged. "I still don't see why I can't handle it myself."

"Because this is their base of operations," Theron deadpanned. "They're holed up in that crashed ship on the far side of the island, they've got a security system I haven't been able to get past yet, and the whole place is crawling with pirates even when they _aren't_ on alert."

A lazy grin spread across Rei's face as she tilted her head back to look at Ashara. "And just how many times have we infiltrated an impenetrable crashed ship filled with pirates?"

"Just the once," Ashara huffed, crossing her arms. "And it was _awful_. Why can't you just wait for Master Cori to get back?"

"Because I'm impatient and this is better than paperwork. Besides, we've got the droid."

 _T7 + Sith = can handle Revanites_

"See?"

"I'm with Ashara on this one," Theron cut in. "Just wait for Cori."

"The concern is endearing, but I'll pass." Rei slid off the table, motioning for Ashara and T7 to follow. "Have you eaten yet?" she called over her shoulder to Ashara, ignoring the apprentice's protests. "I'd like to grab something to eat before we head out, and there's this fruit stall that I _adore_. What do you say?"

Ashara's voice was barely audible over their echoing steps as they both made their way down the stairs. " _I say_ that you're crazy. This is the _worst_ idea you've had since we did this on Hoth."

…

"Enough! I am _not_ a pirate! I am a dark lord of the Sith, and _someone_ on this island is going to treat me like it _._ "

Theron massaged at one of his temples, suppressing a groan of frustration. Sending Nox into the Aggressor alone was looking like a worse and worse idea — and it hadn't even been a _good_ one to begin with.

Nox and Margok hurled insults at each other until finally Margok cut out with a final challenge, leaving Theron free to re-establish a full connection. "Nice work blowing our cover."

"I didn't— It wasn't _intentional_. It just sort of… slipped out." To Nox's credit, she _did_ look apologetic. Or it was just distortion from the holo. "Just say the Howling Tempest answers to me. It's believable, and Zaara will _hate_ it."

It wasn't a bad suggestion, actually. Luckily, it wasn't one they'd need. "It's fine. We're blocking any communications anyway, so as long as you take care of Margok quickly it won't be a problem." Theron glanced away from the holo, scanning the console screen with a frown. "The security _will_ be, though. They've got local slicers keeping me from accessing anything. Teeseven can deactivate their systems, and you can… you know. Make a mess."

She shot him a wide grin. "Well, since you asked so nicely."

Theron could just make out an indignant _don't encourage her!_ from Ashara before the holo cut out. He leaned back with a sigh, doing his best _not_ to focus on how much more smoothly the mission could be going if someone else were in charge. It wasn't that Nox was incapable of handling the mission — far from it, considering what she'd done so far. It was the fact that she was such a frustrating combination of stubborn and impatient.

In a lot of ways, Nox was a perfect fit for the caricatures the Republic usually painted of the Sith, with her penchant for violence and insistence on _proper titles_ and whatever absurd amount of fear and respect she thought was owed to her. Then, of course, there were the casual threats she was fond of throwing around, though they were mostly directed at Andronikos and Zaara — and neither of them seemed too concerned with taking Nox seriously.

But then there was her competitive streak when she played cards, or the seemingly unending teasing she directed at her apprentice, or the fact that she was somehow _always_ smiling despite the situation. At times like those, Nox was almost _tolerable_.

Theron's attention was pulled back to the mission by Nox and Ashara's conversation; he wondered briefly if they were even aware the comm line was still open. "How's it look down there?" he asked as soon as there was a break in their talking.

" _There's a_ lot _of pirates_ ," Nox reported. " _Teeseven says there's one last security terminal to slice into. Ashara's keeping busy by going after their stockpiles._ "

" _Yeah_ ," Ashara scoffed, " _thanks for leaving the_ boxes _for me, by the way_."

" _Fine, then, these two are all yours. Droid!_ " In a less demanding tone, Nox added, " _We're at the last terminal. We've killed every single pirate the Nova Blades have thrown at us, their base is in ruins, and we know where the Commodore is hiding._ " The smug pride in her voice was difficult to ignore. " _Should we wait for Cori, or can we continue?_ "

"Just go ahead—" He cut off with a sharp groan, staring at the screen in frustration. "Good news, the security systems are down. Bad news, so is the whole network." Nox immediately demanded an explanation from Teeseven, but Theron interrupted before she got _too_ irate. "It's nothing Teeseven did," he explained. "Margok probably shut it down manually. You should be able to reach him now, and you'll need to— Actually, you just take care of Margok. Teeseven can handle the network."

" _Good. Keep things simple_ ," Nox commented cheerily, " _and let the droid take care of the complicated part — I can do that._ "

"Good to see the two of you aren't fighting anymore."

Theron turned towards Lana; he hadn't even realized she'd returned until she spoke. "Nox has no problem destroying everything in sight. Go figure."

Lana gave a quiet laugh, but before she could say anything Nox piped up over the comm. " _With Margok gone_ ," she mused, " _the Nova Blades crumble. A power vacuum opens up in Raider's Cove. A vacuum that, theoretically,_ anyone _could fill_."

Ashara groaned. " _One bad idea at a time, please._ "

Nox didn't answer; there were several moments of silence over the comm line before T7 filled them in.

 _Sith + Apprentice = found Margok / T7 = powering up network_

With the network back online, it was only moments before T7's image flickered to life on the holoterminal. Theron set to work pulling data from the Nova Blades — relevant, irrelevant, anything he could find — while Lana stepped into view.

"Good work, Teeseven," she said warmly, offering an appreciative nod. "What about Nox and Ashara?"

"Finished. Done. Present and accounted for. Whatever you'd like." Nox had barely appeared on the holo before she ducked back to the side, returning a moment later with Ashara at her side and holding a wide-brimmed hat. She turned the hat over in her hands, inspecting it. "Margok was no match for me," she stated plainly.

Theron turned to the holo as Ashara began protesting, finding Nox holding the hat up like a trophy, her eyes wide with excitement. "Why don't you just head back?" he suggested. "And… maybe leave the hat."

"I think I'll keep it." Nox gave a brazen grin before ending the holocall.

Lana sighed. "Well. That could've gone much worse."

…

"What… is that?"

Cori was already seated at the table when she noticed it. Saying goodbye — again — to Master Orgus that morning had left her upset and her mind clouded in a way that not even hours of meditation had helped. When she'd entered the safehouse, she'd made note of its relative emptiness — with Nox and Ashara on the floor in front of the couch, concentrating on a card game, and with Theron, Lana, and Raina in quiet conversation on the far side of the room — and had completely missed the comically large hat that was currently serving as a centerpiece for the table.

"Until yesterday, that belonged to the leader of the Nova Blades," Theron informed her. "And then Nox decided to let Teeseven wear it on the way back from the Aggressor."

"You have a wonderful droid, by the way," Nox piped up, not turning her attention from the card game. " _I_ thought it would make an excellent addition to my crew, but we apparently disagree on that matter."

Cori frowned, picking up the hat to inspect it. "You stole a hat and put it on Teeseven?"

"It's a long story," Lana interjected, tone suggesting the topic had been brought up one too many times. "You missed a lot yesterday. Why don't I fill you in?" She stood, nodding towards the door.

"Um, sure." Cori followed Lana out into the alleyway; she'd been looking forward to having a bit of downtime and _not_ focusing on the Revanites, but she found it difficult to say no to spending time with Lana. More difficult that she wanted to admit, really. "Did something go wrong yesterday? I know I said I was busy, but I could've—"

"No, no, nothing went wrong," Lana assured her. "The mission was an absolute success. And Nox was right, she and Teeseven worked well together. It's just…" She paused, sighing heavily. "Nox can be difficult, sometimes, and she knows it. She's particularly fond of frustrating Theron, I believe." Lana offered Cori a warm smile. "I should be thanking you, really. I've had to listen to those two go back and forth all day, and I haven't been able to find an excuse to leave."

If Cori's thoughts had been muddled, there were now nearly incomprehensible. "I— You're welcome. And if you don't want to go back yet, we could get something to eat? I mean, I know there's nothing really _nice_ in the cove, but Zaara keeps her ship stocked and I'm sure she wouldn't mind…" She trailed off, the words having escaped before she'd even thought them through. "Or not," she added, feeling warmth spread across her cheeks.

"Are you asking me to dinner, Jedi?" Lana asked, an eyebrow quirking upwards.

She hesitated, wishing that wherever the offer had come unbidden from, there was also an equally effortless agreement; the words didn't come, and Cori made an attempt at nonchalance with a shrug. "If you'd like."

"I would."

Lana was smiling again, and Cori found herself suddenly very aware of all the reasons she was making the wrong decision. To make things worse, she could already hear both Zaara and Kira teasing.

But she could deal with all that later.


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N:** in which zaara pines, cori pines, and davri isn't very good at her job. I'll be out of town for the rest of the week, so I'm not sure when I'll get chapter seven up. that, and I've had a massive case of writers' block for over a week now._

* * *

Zaara had always expected to end up trapped by Rei at some point. But, she'd assumed it would involve the wrong end of a lightsaber and some horrifying mistake on her part, not holding a now-cold cup of caf, with Rei slumped halfway on top of her after falling asleep in the middle of a conversation.

With as small as Rei was, it wouldn't be difficult for Zaara to slip out from under her; it was _waking_ her that she was worried about.

Considering everything that had happened over the past two days, Zaara didn't mind having a few hours of silence to herself. Meeting the Minister again — _former_ Minister, she corrected herself — had been unexpected. The fact that he'd kept the whole truth from her _again_ and misled her _again_ was also unexpected, though Zaara knew it shouldn't have been; logically, she should've stopped trusting him a long time ago, but some part of her still put too much faith in the old Intelligence.

And _Keeper_. Shara Jenn.

She should've known that, even if the universe were to be so kind as to give them a few moments together, the former Minister wouldn't. Learning that Keeper was safe — that _Shara_ was safe — and only being given the courtesy of a quick farewell via holo was enough to crack Zaara's strict professionalism.

She'd snapped at him. Considered throwing every failure and mistake and betrayal at him.

But she hadn't. She'd simply said her goodbyes and left. Vector had tried to comfort her, as did Kaliyo, in her own way, but Zaara didn't want to be comforted.

She wanted back the few brief months that Cipher Nine and Watcher Two had together.

Her teeth ground together, her grip tightening on the handle of her mug; it wasn't like her to get this sentimental. She couldn't afford to — she should be resting, or catching up on everything that had happened while she was gone. She had a _job_ to do, and it wasn't going to get done by hiding out in the safehouse pining over a woman she'd once loved.

Still, Zaara was content to sit and pine until Rei woke up.

She'd only just made the conscious decision to spend the rest of the morning stewing in anger when footsteps caught her attention; Theron walked in a few moments later, looking generally disheveled and half asleep. He paused upon entering, running a hand through his hair and hesitating, as if not entirely certain what to make of the situation. "You're back," he finally said.

"Good observation." Zaara kept her voice quiet, forcing a smile that she hoped looked somewhat genuine.

Theron grabbed one of the chairs from the table, swiveling it to face the couch and wincing as it scraped across the floor. "And?"

Zaara frowned. "Success. We got back early this morning. I've told Vector and Kaliyo to take the day off, but I'd rather throw myself into whatever mission comes next," she admitted. "Hang on, would you—?" She held out the half-empty mug, tired of holding it thanks to her limited range of motion.

"You'll want to talk to Lana, then. She spent all morning yesterday out doing… something." Theron set Zaara's mug down on the table, glancing towards the door with a knowing smirk. "She also spent the entire evening with your sister."

" _Good_ ," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "It's about time Cori did more than get those big, sad eyes whenever she talks about Lana."

"And here I thought you and your general dislike of Sith would be disappointed."

Zaara would've laughed if she weren't still trying to be quiet. "I happen to _like_ Lana. Most of the time, Sith stick their noses into things they shouldn't and everything falls apart. But Lana knows what she's doing. Or," she amended with a one-sided shrug, "she's doing a good job of acting like she does."

"It's amazing how competent people assume you are just because you can wave around a lightsaber."

Theron and Zaara shared a wide-eyed glance at Rei's muffled words. "Is that your way of admitting you're less competent than we all think?" Zaara asked lightly, idly wondering just how long Rei had been awake.

"Not _you_." Rei shifted so she was laying on her back, with her head resting on Zaara's lap, and made no indication she was planning on moving again. "But I'm fairly certain half the council is convinced I've got some master plan to topple the good and proper Sith way of life." She snorted. "Even if I _wanted_ to, I don't have the patience to plan something like that."

"And so the truth comes out."

Rei's only response was a lazy wave of her hand.

"So, you were telling me about all the excitement I missed over the past two days." She absentmindedly flexed her fingers; her left arm, now free from Rei's weight, was beginning to regain feeling after being asleep. "You were trying to remember something about Teeseven?"

Rei frowned, brow scrunching in concentration. After a moment, she sighed. "I don't know," she admitted. "We had to go after the Nova Blades because… something about Revan. Cori was going to come, but I went alone and _Theron_ —" Rei jabbed an accusatory finger in his direction, "—didn't think I could handle it, but I did. Then yesterday, I had to call in to a council meeting. Vowrawn was suspiciously absent _again._ Remind me to ask Darth Evris about that—"

"Nox, stop," Zaara interrupted. " _What_ about Revan and the Nova Blades?"

"The Revanites threatened to pull their support," Theron cut in. "It's a combination of our efforts and the fact that they already lost the Mandalorians — which is what Lana's been looking into." He turned to Rei with a frown. "And I never said you couldn't handle it. I said there was no reason not to wait for Cori."

"And if I had waited for—"

" _Nox_."

Rei glanced up at Zaara, arms crossed. "What?"

"What about the Revanites? You mentioned the Nova Blades' base earlier — is that related? You're not doing a very good job of filling me in, you know."

The rattataki let out a frustrated huff of air. Pushing herself up so she was sitting beside Zaara, Rei pulled her feet up onto the couch to sit cross-legged. "We — _I_ — made one final strike at the Nova Blades. Ashara and I went after the pirates and their supplies to cripple them, and Teeseven and Theron went searching through their computers, and Lana went looking into rumors about the possible location of the Revanites' base. We killed a lot of people, Andronikos is back, and now we're just waiting for all the information to be decrypted." She paused, letting her hands fall into her lap as her mouth twisted in concentration. "I think that's everything."

Finally completely free of Rei's weight, Zaara stood, stretching her arms above her head. "Get any good data?"

"Not yet," Theron admitted. "A lot of it's corrupted, and most of it's still encrypted. There's some information on the Mandalorians Lana's been looking into, and lists of Revanites in both Imperial and Republic ranks. We won't be able to salvage all of it, but it's a start."

Zaara crossed her arms, thinking. "Let SCORPIO take a look at it. She should be able to save more of the data than you or I could, and you saw how quickly she worked through that encryption back on Manaan."

Theron ran a hand through his hair and frowned, not looking entirely pleased with the suggestion. Before he could say anything, Rei cut in with a satisfied, "Good idea. The sooner we can attack the Mandalorians, the better."

"They're potential _allies._ We're not attacking them."

Rei dismissed Theron with a lazy wave of her hand. "Same thing — they're _Mandalorians_."

"Don't you have some sort of council business to work on?" Zaara asked pointedly, resisting the urge to sigh with relief when Rei grumbled something about Vowrawn and Acina and trudged out of the room. "Nox does have a point, actually. They might respect that we have a common enemy, but Mandalorians aren't exactly known for their diplomacy."

"True," Theron conceded with a shrug, "but that doesn't mean we should go in blasters blazing. Or, lightsabers, or whatever."

Zaara pursed her lips. "Right." They didn't exactly have enough information for her to finalize a plan, but she could start.

"The sooner we work through this data, the sooner we can get started."

"Let me take a look at what you've got so far, then I'll go find SCORPIO."

* * *

"You'd be more comfortable in my quarters, you know." Zaara gave a belated knock to announce her presence, biting back an amused grin at the sight of her sister sitting cross-legged in the copilot's chair, clearly trying to meditate yet looking anything but relaxed. "I made the bed this morning and everything. It's cleaner than up here, and smells better, too — Vector and Raina found these scented oils on Voss that…" She trailed off as Cori's brow knit together in frustration. "Are you alright?"

"I'm not sure," the Jedi admitted, shoulders drooping as her eyes opened, "but meditating isn't helping."

"Need to talk about it?" Zaara settled into the pilot's chair, toggling the map display so she could see her sister clearly. "Or, if you want to get your mind off of it, I could bore you with an inaccurate retelling of an Intelligence mission. Maybe… did I ever actually tell you how Vector and I met?"

Cori shook her head. "I appreciate it, Zaara, but it wouldn't help. Especially not that." She looked down, fingers toying with the edge of her robe. "This is… I should be asking one of the Jedi masters for guidance. I've already spoken with Kira. I— The problem is, I already know the answers to the questions I have, I just don't _like_ them. That's why I've been meditating, and… _ugh_." She buried her face in her hands for a moment, sighing deeply before leaning back in the chair.

"This is about Lana."

The look Cori shot Zaara was a mix of frustration and pleading. "Yes."

Zaara propped her feet up on the console and crossed her arms, searching for an answer that was both diplomatic and helpful. "You've seen people — Jedi _and_ Sith — fall to the dark side, correct? And be redeemed anyway?"

"Yes."

"I'm no Jedi, but to me that says _problem solved_. If, somehow, this all ends terribly, just say the word and I will personally drag you to Master Satele herself for cleansing or healing or whatever it is you do." She paused for a moment to gauge Cori's response. "But, really, I would hope that one little date isn't enough to corrupt Satele's model Jedi."

"It wasn't—" Cori's voice faltered. "Maybe it was. But this isn't about yesterday. It's about _everything_. I already care about you and Kira more than I should, and it's different with…" She trailed off again, her expression smoothing in a thinly veiled attempt to hide how upset she was. "This is why I need to speak with one of the other masters."

Annoyance flashed through Zaara; she understood, of course, that some problems could only be solved with the help of those that had the same experiences. However, even with as eternally thankful as she was that Cori had ended up with the Jedi instead of the Sith, she couldn't forgive some of the things the Order had done to Cori.

Zaara was no stranger to sacrificing her own happiness for her duty, but that didn't mean she wanted her sister doing the same. Still, it wasn't her place to stand in the way of whatever Cori thought the right course of action was.

"Of course," she sighed after several moments. "You're still welcome to use my quarters to meditate, and the holoterminal's secure if you need to speak with someone."

"Actually," Cori spoke up as Zaara rose to leave, "speaking of holoterminals, Major Sohms wanted me to ask you to call her. Davri — you remember her from Manaan?"

"I do." Zaara turned to face Cori. "What does she need me for? From what I remember, she couldn't get away from us Imperials quickly enough."

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I think she needs help with something." Cori paused, looking down for a moment. "She's had a rough time lately, but she's a good person and she's trying to make amends. This has to be important if Davri's asking for your help. You'll at least consider whatever she has to say, won't you?"

Zaara was intrigued enough to agree. At the very least, having Havoc Squad in her debt could be a very powerful advantage one day. "I'll see what she wants. I need an empty ship, though. Tell Kaliyo on your way out."

She made her way to the holoterminal, waiting until everyone else had cleared out before making the call. She clasped her hands behind her back and resisted the urge to pace, fingers tapping restlessly on the opposite hand as the mirialan's dour image finally flickered to life. "Major."

"Agent." She crossed her arms. "Have to say, I wasn't sure Master Cori would convince you to actually talk to me."

"I never turn down a potential ally," Zaara shot back blithely.

Davri cocked an eyebrow, but jumped straight into an explanation. "I'm not sure what Cori told you, but she filled me in on the situation last night. She said there's a list of names of Republic Revanites."

"There is."

"Cori wants me back on the mission. To _see it through to the end_ , or something. Thing is, I have my own mission right now. A… mess to clean up. One that's going to turn into an even _bigger_ mess when the politicians get wind of it. But if there was a way to, say, pin the blame somewhere _else_ , I could be on Rishi in a matter of days."

Zaara considered the information, mulling the Major's unspoken request over as she began to pace. "You have a name you want on that list," she clarified.

"Several. A whole squad." Davri narrowed her eyes. "Assuming it's even in the realm of possibility."

"Are you asking if I _can_ or if I'm _willing_?"

"Both. And how much it'll cost me."

"Why not go to Theron?" Zaara asked, stalling for time to respond. It was a question she suspected she already knew the answer to, but it couldn't hurt to confirm her suspicions.

Davri snorted, placing her hands on her hips and rolling her eyes. "You think he'd agree to this? Even if he would, this way, if there's ever evidence found that these names were added in later, with you the blame just shifts from the Revanites to the Empire. The _last_ thing I need is for this to end up looking like a Republic cover up." She frowned and looked away for a moment, focusing on something out of view. "I won't lie, Agent, I'm desperate. I _need_ this taken care of."

"You're protecting someone," Zaara guessed.

"Yeah, and I owe her my entire career. This is the least I can do. So, will you do it?" she repeated. "And what's it going to cost me?"

Zaara didn't answer immediately. It wasn't a simple request that Davri was making; actually _changing_ the data wouldn't take any time at all, but the changes — especially to the Republic list — were unlikely to go unnoticed. She had no doubts that Theron was taking every precaution with security, same as she was. Still, that didn't mean it was impossible.

And then, of course, there was always the option of simply not doing it. Even if Davri wasn't directly responsible for whatever she was trying to bury, Zaara had the feeling that she was _involved_ , regardless. That, combined with the fact that she was reaching out to an Imperial to cover it up, could be enough to finally put an end to her career. She was both a hero and a menace in the Republic, and a stubborn thorn in the Empire's side; she'd been the driving force behind many devastating losses for the Empire, and employed ruthlessly efficient tactics that stood out in the Republic.

But taking out the Revanites was their top priority, and Zaara forced herself to admit that, for the moment, Davri was valuable. Besides, she could always hold on to the proof to use later.

"I'll see what I can do," she finally answered. "I'll go take a look at the data, and if I can make it look convincing, I'll let you know and we'll discuss it further."


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:** in an attempt to space out the events on rishi a bit, I had a timeskip that takes place after chapter six. I was originally going to just jump right back in, but it was a bit too abrupt.  
_ _the two sections aren't necessarily related, but take place in the ~week between chapter six and what's coming up in eight_

* * *

"It looks as if I've won again."

Rei surrendered her cards with a groan, beginning to wonder if it was still worth trying to beat Lana. Or _anyone_ , really, at that point; she'd been unfocused all day, ever since receiving an update from Acina that morning. She'd prepared a preliminary report for the Council on the status of their research on the Revanites' cyborgs and the Rakatan implants they used, which Rei had yet to look over. She had, however, skimmed through the (considerably shorter) update on their teams on Manaan.

 _The Republic is sending representatives, and the Jedi have gotten involved. At best, we'll be forced to simply send in a covert team to salvage as much as we can. At worst, the Republic will manage to successfully cover this up. We already know they were involved in collapsing the facility — if we can_ prove _it, there will be unavoidable political fallout. A secondary objective, of course, and it may force us to implicate our own team in the process, but it's something to consider._

Of course, considering that Rei's original purpose had been to find additional information on the Revanites, the outcome of the Manaan situation no longer mattered to her. She _had_ already committed resources, though, and a continued partnership with Acina could prove useful.

But Council work was the _last_ thing she wanted on her mind, and had decided instead to waste the entirety of her afternoon losing at cards.

It had been Kaliyo and Andronikos that had gotten the game started, though they'd eventually left for the cantina. Rei, Lana, Theron, and Temple were still playing, though Ashara had given up a few rounds in; she sat on the couch beside Cori, who had spent the past half hour trying to style Kira's hair into an elaborate braid based off a holo she was holding up.

The day had been nothing but relaxing, and yet Rei couldn't have been more tense.

She jumped when her holocomm chimed, answering it automatically and expecting Zaara's image to appear. Instead, it was Acina, datapad in hand. She offered Rei a pensive look. "Darth Nox. You received the Manaan report I forwarded?"

"Acina. Yes, but, ah—" Rei glanced up, finding all eyes on her.

"Have I caught you at a bad time?"

She cleared her throat. "No, your timing is wonderful, actually. I… have company, is all. If it's important, I can take your call in private."

"I see." Setting the datapad down, Acina explained, "I've come across some interesting information regarding our recent efforts and simply wished to discuss how to proceed. More importantly, we've caught some unwanted attention, though I'm beginning to think it may prove advantageous."

A list of names flitted through Rei's mind, a handful of councilors and other influential Sith she and Acina had determined could pose as threats to their joint operations. She wasn't in much of a mood to deal with nosy Sith, but knew it was likely in her best interests to deal with the situation before the next council meeting, especially considering she wouldn't be attending in person. "Agreed. Give me a few minutes and I'll call you back." As the call ended, she rested her arms on the table and stifled a frustrated sigh. Anywhere else, a report on Manaan would seem unimportant, but she was certain everyone in the safehouse would make the connection.

She had finally begun to earn the trust of their Republic allies — Theron, specifically, since they others seemed mostly content to take Zaara at her word — and this would do anything but help.

It was Lana who spoke first. "Well, I suppose it doesn't come as any surprise that the Dark Council is investigating."

"And I'll bet they have some pretty specific information on the Republic team, yeah?" Kira asked, her half-finished braid coming undone as she leaned forward out of Cori's reach. "Stuff you just conveniently knew?"

Rei sat upright, crossing her arms. She and Acina hadn't actually done anything that would harm the Republic — the technology would, if they could ever get their hands on anything substantial, but that was irrelevant, in her mind — though she doubted anyone would believe her. After all, she would be suspicious if it were Cori or Major Sohms leading an investigation into Imperial activity on Manaan.

"First off," Rei began, "I have no reason to justify myself to any of you — but I _will_ , out of respect for this little alliance. Second, I was concerned with the _Revanite_ activity in the facility, not the Republic's. Third, _why_ would I tell them about any of you? It was bad enough when I tried to convince them Lana wasn't a traitor," she scoffed. "You can imagine what the Council would've thought if I'd told them she was working with the Republic."

"They probably already knew about our involvement," Cori pointed out carefully, running her fingers through Kira's loose hair as she began braiding it again. "Remember what Master Satele said? About sending Master Neiri to clear things up? It's hardly a secret."

Assuming that was the Jedi mentioned in Acina's report, Rei nodded. "It's not _you_ the Council knows about, it's all the other teams the Republic keeps sending. _So_ ," she challenged, "if, in the future, you'd prefer I sat on my hands instead of using my _considerable_ influence against our enemies, please let me know."

Kira rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright. Sorry I asked. You've made your point."

"Believe it or not," Rei added, "some of us _do_ want to keep the Empire safe. For the moment, that means destroying the Revanites. Republic or not, betraying our allies now would be counterintuitive."

Whether they believed her or not, she had no reservations about working with the Republic — it was a means to an end, like anything else, and she figured they were less likely to turn on her than another Sith would. As far as everyone else seeming uncertain whether or not to trust _her_ — she'd dealt with worst, and she'd just have to be more careful about not giving them any reasons to doubt her.

After assuring Ashara, Raina, and Kira she'd be back by that evening — the three of them were determined to find a decent stretch of beach where they could waste a day or two lounging in the sun without pirates or debris — Rei left the safehouse, scrolling through her datapad as she made her way to her ship. She knew she wouldn't be able to get through the entire report, but she could skim the important-looking parts.

The more she worked with Acina, Rei was discovering, the more she actually liked the woman. Unlike some of the other council members, who liked to fill their reports and agendas with pretentious, overinflated language and technical jargon that Rei could hardly muddle through, Acina's messages were always relatively short and straight to the point.

None of that _knowledge is power which means using twelve pages and words like "copacetic" to give a simple status report_ nonsense.

Rei continued to look through the datapad even as her ship's holoterminal flickered on, Acina still waiting with her hands folded in her lap. "No company, secure connection, all that." She glanced up from her datapad. "What's this new information?"

"I believe we underestimated the Republic."

Rei snorted as she set her datapad to the side. "I wasn't aware that was possible."

Acina's lips pressed into a thin frown. "It is. Some of my sources have informed me that the Republic military not only was successful in rebuilding the Rakatan cyborgs from Lehon, but attempted to actively utilize the technology in a small number of their soldiers."

"Attempted?"

"Considering we've heard nothing, it may have been a failure. However," Acina qualified, frown deepening, "considering how difficult it was to get even _this_ information, it's more likely they're simply doing everything they can to keep this project a secret."

Rei crossed her arms, her brow furrowing as she thought. There were still too many questions that she doubted Acina had answers for — _How many soldiers? Were the cybernetics fully integrated into the soldiers, or only partially? Was it a success? Were they planning more?_ — but they couldn't simply sit and wait. She rubbed at her eyes, sighing. "You said before that we could have working prototypes by the end of the year. That has to happen sooner. Is it a matter of research or resources? I can stop by the facility on Manaan myself, if it's just information we need."

"It would certainly help. I've got teams from the Science Bureau working non-stop on this, but there's _something_ we're missing." Acina paused for a moment and looked away, lips pursed in thought. "This doesn't really concern you anymore, Darth Nox," she pointed out, the words more curious than threatening, "but there _is_ something else you could do. Darth Zhorrid is fond of you, isn't she? She must have _some_ Intelligence agents within the Republic who could find out more about this cyborg squad. And if she doesn't know, someone else will."

Almost managing to hide her grimace, Rei nodded; Zhorrid was only fond of her because Rei had, on more than one occasion, sat through her tirades and rants. It wasn't something she necessarily enjoyed, but Rei had singled out Zhorrid as a potential ally fairly soon after being appointed to the council. Some coddling and an overpriced dinner or two later, and she'd practically ensured Zhorrid's loyalty. "I'll speak to her," she sighed. "Dinner and tickets to some concert should be enough to make her agreeable."

"Good. We can hold off reporting to the rest of the council until you've met with her. How soon will you be back in the city?"

Rei laughed; their current situation was far too absurd for her to even _guess_ how much longer she'd be on Rishi. "You'll know as soon as I do."

* * *

Considering all that had already happened on Rishi, Theron supposed _lunch with Nox_ shouldn't have stood out as much as it did.

She'd barged into the safehouse, asking where everyone else was before storming back out. Not that Theron would've had an answer for her anyway; Zaara and Vector had left the evening before, and she'd explicitly given the rest of her crew the day off. Cori, Lana, and Kira had left to train that morning and hadn't been back since. It had been a fairly uneventful morning for Theron and T7.

Until Nox had _returned_ , that is, sweeping through the room like she was searching for something, mumbling to herself something about ruining her plans. After checking the couch cushions — _twice_ — she'd stood, surveyed the room, and announced they would be taking a break for lunch.

 _Especially you, Theron — do you ever actually stop working?_

It hadn't seemed like a terrible idea at the time — and still didn't, if he was being honest. Nox was surprisingly good company even without Ashara or Andronikos or Zaara to keep her in check. She'd rambled off about a dozen different things — the latest season of some Imperial holonet show, the quality of the food at the Rishi markets, the inconveniences caused by reconstruction on Korriban — before turning to T7 and needling the droid with questions about its previous masters, watching with wide-eyed curiosity as she listened.

"Hang on. Wait." Nox set the bright orange drink she'd been sipping at on the table. "When you say _Jedi_ , you're talking about Cori, now?"

T7 gave a little beep of confirmation.

"How long have you been working with Cori, then?" Theron asked.

 _T7 = with Jedi almost five years / Jedi = was still a padawan_

"Perfect. You know what five years is a _great_ time for? Starting over. Maybe with _my_ crew this time."

"Nox, that's never going to work."

 _T7 = loyal to Jedi_

"See?"

Nox shrugged, absentmindedly stirring her drink with the pink straw. "Never hurts to try." She opened her mouth as if to say something more, but simply frowned and looked away for a few moments. "See, I was going to apologize for this," she finally admitted, voice cheery and her expression brightening, "for dragging you both away from whatever terribly important work you were doing because I'm a social creature who wanted to be around people and couldn't find anyone else and council business is _really_ stressing me out right now. But that would require, you know, _apologizing_."

 _Apology = accepted_

"Very funny."

Theron wasn't certain which impressed him more — the considerable amount of sarcasm that T7 had managed to convey, or the apology that Nox had almost made. Her point was moot, anyway; he'd mostly just been checking over any data that SCORPIO had either intercepted or decrypted, since he wasn't as willing as Zaara to trust the droid. "Don't worry, I'm not sure we'd believe you even if you _did_ apologize."

Nox rolled her eyes. "Comedians, the both of you. Though really, you should be _thanking_ me, considering I put incredibly important council work on hold for this. Actually — speaking of the council," she added, giving her head a thoughtful tilt, "I'm half convinced this whole _Revan_ thing is just an elaborate attempt to take us out one by one."

"How so?"

Nox pushed her drink to the side and leaned forward with a conspiratorial grin. "Soverus, in the Academy, then Arkus on Rakata Prime, and now you've got me out here ignoring work on Rishi. Get Marr out here and the Empire will practically collapse."

Theron held up his hands in surrender, trying not to pay much attention to how much Nox seemed to enjoy the idea. "You got me. It's all fake. Revan's in on it, and this whole thing was Teeseven's idea."

She laughed. "I _knew_ it." Taking a loud sip of her drink, Nox was silent for a moment before adding, "You _are_ making my life rather difficult, you know; with every councilor we lose, my stress levels _double_. And council meetings these days—" she gave a melodramatic sigh, "—they physically _age_ me."

That wasn't exactly news — not about the council, at least. They'd lost over a half dozen members at the hands of the Republic in the past year alone — three of which Theron had played a part in eliminating — and though the Empire had suffered for their losses, they'd also managed to remain relatively stable. He didn't imagine that stability came easily, though. "Lots of late nights playing politics?"

"It's… There's a lot of empire for one council to run," she offered stiffly, clearly unwilling to get into specifics. "I'm sure it's easier for the others, with their family legacies and private schooling and connections and _humanity_ , instead of being thrown into it all when—" She stopped abruptly, clearing her throat. "I'm just going to go get another drink."

Theron watched as Nox left, stalking through the crowd to the shop where she'd bought her first drink. He wondered — not for the first time — about her past; the files the SIS had on her had only gone back to when she'd joined the council, and there was nothing before that. _Thrown into_ seemed to be an adequate term if she hadn't even caught the Republic's attention prior to then. Still, with as meticulous as Imperial record keeping was, there should've been _something_ , and the only real explanations were either that she wasn't Imperial — unlikely — or that she'd originally been a slave — slightly less unlikely.

 _Sith = not so bad_

Glancing down at T7, Theron shrugged. "You don't think she's a bit… intense?"

The droid shuffled backwards and forwards, as if debating how to answer. _Temper = unfortunate / Sith + T7 = still make good team / T7 + Apprentice = can calm Sith down_

Theron wasn't certain he'd call Ashara's influence on Nox _calming_ — the two seemed locked in some perpetual argument — but he couldn't deny that Nox had a soft spot for T7. But before he could answer, the Sith in question rejoined them, sitting down at the table with a heavy sigh.

"It's not just the council," she admitted without pretense, wiping at the condensation that was already forming on the outside of her drink. "This morning I learned a good friend — a _mentor_ , if you will — had to go into hiding because he was being watched. So now, I'm paranoid about that, and stressed about the council, overwhelmed with some personal projects, and, _oh_ ," she scoffed, jabbing an accusatory finger first in Theron's direction, then in T7's, "the Republic has completely ruined my latest crusade. It's almost like we're at war or something." She sighed again. "But lunch was nice, at least. Surprisingly so. I'm glad at least _one_ thing has gone right today."

Not quite willing to agree with Nox — despite how nice lunch _had_ been, Theron hadn't quite shaken the odd feeling that came from spending time with Nox, which only worsened every time she brought up the council and her position — Theron gave an exaggerated shrug. "You never know. It's not too late for something to go horribly wrong."

"In that case, I'll just go ahead and blame you _now_."


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N:** in which zaara and davri commit treason, theron is conflicted, and rei accidentally has An Emotion_  
 _another filler-ish chapter that's just a badly concealed attempt to write out conversations between rei and theron. again, takes place about a week or so after the last chapter. I was going to wait a bit to post another chapter but I had this one edited already and, hey, it's star wars day so why not_

* * *

"Good news," Zaara announced as she waltzed into the safehouse, "and bad news."

"Not _too_ bad, I hope." Lana glanced up from her datapad. "I've already arranged for transportation."

"No, nothing terribly bad." She plopped onto the couch between Vector and Ashara. "Good news: Nox won't be a problem. I finally got a hold of Talos, and apparently Nox and Andronikos have gone to finish off whatever it is they've been planning all week. Something about pirates." As valuable as Rei's help might be, Zaara was still convinced there would be a diplomatic solution to the Mandalorians, but not if Rei were to tag along.

Ashara groaned, but gave no explanation.

"And the bad news?" Lana prompted.

"Kira's gone with them, so we're one short."

Cori folded her hands on the table, frowning. "Lana said the shuttle holds six people. I think we need six, in case…"

"In case we have to fight our way through an entire Mandalorian clan," Zaara finished for her, nodding. Counting on her fingers, she said aloud, "Me, Raina, Vector, Cori, Teeseven. That's five. SCORPIO is still working through that data, and I'd really feel better if Lokin stayed here so he's ready in case anyone is hurt too badly." She glanced to her left.

Crossing her arms, Ashara sighed. "Somebody else gets to explain it to Nox, then. She's already going to be furious when she finds out you all went after the Mandalorians without her."

"I'll handle Nox," Zaara promised, before standing. Rei could pout all she wanted, but Zaara would rather deal with her anger than ruin any chance they had at a relatively peaceful solution with the Mandalorians. "If that's settled, then, we should get moving. It's been days since we've made any real progress on the Revanites, and I'd like to get back to it."

The atmosphere in the safehouse shifted, from a lazy morning chat to a palpable energy as the group prepared to leave. Zaara slipped out of the safehouse to head back to her ship for a moment; she was aware she was being followed, but had nearly made it outside before Vector fell into step beside her.

"Your mood is… odd," he remarked quietly. It was a simple statement, not an accusation, but it made Zaara uneasy all the same.

"I'm just glad to have a goal in sight again." She slowed as they reached the end of the alleyway. "Actually, I wanted to run to the ship first, to check on Lokin," she lied. Zaara glanced over her shoulder to where Raina and Cori were following close behind. "I'll be right back.".

Vector tilted his head a bit, thinking. "Doctor Lokin went to the med clinic for supplies."

As before, it wasn't an accusation, just an innocent remark, but Zaara was well aware of the unspoken question. She felt a brief pang of guilt; she wasn't fond of keeping things from Vector — even if only out of practicality — but hadn't told him or anyone else about her chats with Davri. It had been easy to rationalize, with so much at stake and so much depending on their success. Still, there was no sense in letting Vector worry needlessly.

"It's just a quick holocall," she assured him, knowing both that he wouldn't pry, and that she'd be much more comfortable explaining the situation once everything had been taken care of. "Nothing big. I'll just be a few minutes."

Vector offered a nod, then a smile, then a featherlight kiss to Zaara's forehead. "Be safe."

Her smile mirrored his. "Always am."

* * *

"They _what_?"

"Come on, Sith. You know how Zaara gets when she wants to play nice."

Rei crossed her arms, squinting up at Andronikos despite the glaring afternoon sun. "You don't _play nice_ with Mandalorians. I know that, you know that, Zaara knows that."

Raising an eyebrow in amusement, Andronikos shrugged. "I don't know. Between her and that Jedi, they just might be stubborn enough to work something out."

"You can't _agree_ with them," Rei groaned, arms dropping to her side. With a long sigh, she began to head back to the safehouse. She hadn't expected that it would take long to check up on Lord Veijel and the progress that he and Talos were making on the activated arrays, but she also hadn't expected it to go nearly as quickly as it had. Of course, it shouldn't have surprised her that Talos had everything under control and ready to report in.

At any rate, she hoped that Lana and Theron would have something for her to do. Despite the relative quiet they'd enjoyed over the past several days, there was always _something_ that needed to be done, and Rei was usually more than happy to oblige.

Put simply, Rei was _bored_. There was only so much council work she could do without being in Kaas City, and the only personal project she had to worry about at that point was being managed by Acina.

She'd joined Zaara under the impression that Rishi would be a vacation from the carefully calculated politics Rei was so tired of, but so little of what they'd dealt with had been anywhere near straightforward. She wanted a _simple_ problem, one didn't require such deliberate maneuvering.

They were nearly at the safehouse when Andronikos announced he was headed to find where Kira had gone off to. After a quick trip down to one of the market stalls for food, Rei decided to stop by the ship. She'd intended to grab her datapad to read over some reports she was likely behind on, but a book on the lounge table caught her eye. It was Ashara's, the latest in a Republic series that Kira had loaned her a few days before.

The series was apparently quite popular in the core worlds, and Rei could vaguely recall Ashara spending weeks trying to get her hands on one of the previous novels when it had been released. As far as she knew, she was the only one on the ship who hadn't read any of them and, as far as Rei was concerned, there wasn't a better time to get started.

With the book in one hand and a bowl of assorted fruits she'd grown fond of in the other, Rei made her way back to the safehouse to settle in for the evening. She was unsurprised to find Lana and Theron in the main room; Theron was seated at the table, and Lana sat on the couch, legs tucked up under her as she read off from a datapad.

"Nox."

"Lana," Rei greeted, sitting across from Theron, pulling her feet up onto the chair to sit cross-legged and setting the book on the table. "Anything exciting happening?"

"I'm not sure it counts as _exciting_ , exactly," Lana offered, "but Jakarro and Deefour may have found a lead on the whereabouts of the Revanites' base. They've discovered records of various warehouses near here that may hold the information we need," she explained, standing and handing the datapad off to Theron. "However, there's no way of knowing how heavily fortified they are or if we should expect reinforcements. We're looking into it, and assuming Zaara and Cori return at a reasonable time, we should be able to investigate today."

"You mean, return from dealing with the Mandalorians?"

Lana sighed. "Ashara mentioned you might be upset."

"I'm not upset," Rei admitted with a frustrated sigh. "When Zaara works out a plan, you follow it. Like it or not, she knows what she's doing."

Theron glanced up, amusement clear on his face. "I'm guessing you have first-hand experience _not_ following one of her plans?"

" _Once_ ," she answered, referencing the absolute mess that had almost been their mission to Oricon, "and it nearly ended with the destruction of the galaxy."

"Why doesn't that surprise me."

With an innocent grin, Rei turned back to her book. She'd barely finished the first page when she remembered a comment Ashara had made. "How well do you know Davri Sohms?"

"What?" Theron glanced up, brow knit together in confusion at the sudden question.

"Davri Sohms," Rei repeated, grabbing a piece of a sweet yellow fruit and popping it into her mouth before offering the bowl to Theron. "The major," she clarified. "Apparently Kira only started reading these because Davri did some sort of endorsement deal. I wasn't sure why I recognized the name, at first, but she and her squad have caused a lot of trouble for the Empire."

"She's done a lot of work with the SIS, but I hadn't actually met her until a few months ago." He paused, and Rei wasn't certain whether he was thinking or just hesitating to say more.

"Major Sohms has been the driving force behind several Imperial losses," Lana spoke up from behind Rei. "At one point, nearly every recent major Republic victory on Corellia could be attributed to her. It's not surprising her name has caught your attention." After a moment, she added, "She also was part of the strike team that took Korriban recently."

Rei snapped her fingers. " _That's_ it."

"Yeah. Sorry about that, by the way." Theron reached for a piece of one of the smaller green fruit that Rei had been avoiding. "Zaara mentioned you got caught right in the middle of the attack."

Finally giving up on reading for the moment, Rei shrugged. "It wasn't so bad," she lied, not exactly eager to revisit the attack, when she'd been holed up in another Sith lord's office with a handful of acolytes and apprentices just doing what they could to survive until reinforcements arrived. "In truth, out of the group I was protecting, we lost more to the _Sith_ than we did to Republic forces."

That got both of their attention. "What do you mean?" Lana pressed, voice equal parts concerned and suspicious.

"You know how the overseers get," she remarked blithely, picking through the fruit until she found the last few pieces of her favorite. She regretted saying anything, and debated simply not clarifying further. Frustration got the better of her, however. "Everyone in that group was either an alien, or a former slave, or both. No one who would be missed, in other words." She frowned. "They killed one of the acolytes before I stepped in."

The safehouse fell into an uneasy silence. Rei continued staring down into the half empty fruit bowl, her anger spiking at the memory. She could lie — as she had to the acolytes afterwards — and claim that there was a special sort of joy in depriving others of their fun, or search for some excuse about making an example or establishing her power, but the truth was far simpler.

She was sentimental.

Not in an overly emotional sort of way, and if she ever saw any of those acolytes again, she wouldn't be inclined to give them any further advantages — that is, if she even _recognized_ the acolytes upon seeing them. But it hadn't been too many years before that Zash had decided to give Rei a chance — for her own gain, of course, but it had been a chance Rei had needed — and Rei had come to learn that oftentimes, a _chance_ could make a world of difference.

After a moment, Theron shook his head. "I don't see why you'd stay."

" _Stay_? You mean, stay where I'm one of the most powerful people in the entire Empire?" Rei prodded, glad for the easy change of subject; boasting was always easier than introspection. "Where I have wealth and power and influence? If the Republic can match that, I'll gladly switch sides." She didn't miss Lana's exasperated sigh. As the larger implication of the thought began to sink in, Rei found herself overcome by a fit of laughter. "Can you _imagine_? I would make a _terrible_ Jedi."

Theron's grin mirrored her own. "I can't argue that."

"I mean, with the robes and a little blue lightsaber—" Rei's words trailed off as more laughter bubbled up. "Oh! Do you think Teeseven would join my crew if I were a Jedi? Or you? That's what this is all really about, isn't it?" She pointed an accusatory finger at Theron, laughter under control but a wide grin still plastered across her face. "You just want me in the Republic so you can have me all to yourself."

"That's… that's not what I was going for. At all." Theron's focus was directed entirely at his datapad; when he spoke again, his words were more pointed. "Besides, it's not like you haven't said practically the same thing."

"But _I_ meant it."

Lana sighed as she stood. "If the two of you insist on going back and forth again, I'm going to go check on Jakarro. He should've been back by now."

Rei watched as Lana left, picking the book back up and reaching for one of the last pieces of fruit. She still puzzled her; in many ways, Lana reminded her of the Wrath — poised and collected and ruthlessly dedicated — though Rei doubted she had the same merciful streak that seemed to burden Darth Evris. Given Lana's penchant for efficiency, it didn't surprise Rei that she and Theron had so easily decided to work together.

Though, at that point, Rei was certain she was biased. Insincere flirtations aside — which, she'd noted, were becoming more infrequent and less insincere — she was beginning to find that she enjoyed spending time with Theron, whether it was talking or playing pazaak or simply sitting in comfortable silence as she read over reports.

She'd already broken her _I don't trust agents_ rule for Zaara. Breaking it again for Theron would practically make the rule obsolete.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Rei cleared her throat. "I meant it," she admitted thoughtfully, "about the Republic. They would take away the… the safety, I suppose, that I have with the Empire." She was painfully aware of the irony of her statement, of referring to her position as _safe_. At the very least, she supposed, it was a different sort of danger — one she could fight back against. "The Republic is too, I don't know, _idealistic_ , maybe."

"And — what? That's worse than _everything_ the Empire's done?"

"That's my _point_." There was an edge to Rei's tone; she deliberately leveled her voice before she continued. "I've seen the absolute worst the Empire has to offer. I've _lived_ it. And now I'm… It's unreal. I'm in the exact opposite position as I was four years ago. So," she drew out the word, shrugging, "I do what I can to fix things. The Republic just wants to destroy us — the good _and_ the bad — but it's the Empire that can take steps to actually correct some of its flaws."

Theron watched her silently for a moment, brow furrowing just a bit, before breaking into a slow smile. "Now who's _idealistic_?"

"I said _take steps_ and _some_ ," Rei pointed out. "All it takes is five minutes at a council meeting to get rid of any idealistic notions — all anyone can actually agree on is that we should keep fighting against the Republic. And, evidently," she made a vague gesture towards herself and Theron, "not even that, on some days."

His expression turned serious. "I guess we picked the right council member to get stuck with, then."

She scoffed, her dismissal turning to quiet laughter as she imagined Rictus or Mortis or _Marr_ sitting in the small safehouse. "I don't cheat at cards and I have a wonderful personality — other council members aside, I'd say you and Lana are very lucky you're stuck with me." Rei waited for Theron's response; when he simply gave a little tilt of his head, she leaned forward, a slow grin beginning to form. "Are you _agreeing_ with me?"

"I didn't say _yes_ ," he pointed out quickly.

"But you didn't say _no_."

He was silent for a few moments, looking equal parts torn and disappointed. "No, I didn't."

Rei sat back in her seat, staring down at her book. In the weeks she'd been on Rishi, not _once_ had she successfully goaded Theron into admitting that her presence wasn't entirely inconvenient. Granted, she'd been a bit of a wild card when she'd first arrived — _the Sith who gave up trying to convince the Dark Council that Lana was a traitor_ wasn't much of a reputation to go on — but she'd had Zaara to vouch for her.

She'd suspected as much, honestly, considering that Theron no longer protested when Rei dragged him and whoever else was at the safehouse out to have lunch in town every few days. Conversation came easier between them, and he no longer watched her with that wary look like he expected her to turn on them at any moment. As for herself, Rei had long since grown comfortable being around Theron; it wasn't the same as with, say, Talos, but she had found herself trusting him.

Like friends, she supposed. Or something similar, anyway.

Whatever the word, she was beginning to discover that she wasn't quite looking forward to the end of their alliance.


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N:**_ _in which scorpio is helpful, rei is_ not _helpful, and everybody makes bad decisions.  
_ _I'm going to try to start posting more regularly. I'm way ahead as far as writing goes, but the editing is taking forever so assuming I can get better about that, I can tentatively say I'll be posting a chapter every 1-2 weeks._

* * *

"C'mon, I didn't carry all this caf up here for everyone to ignore it."

Rei lifted her head just enough to glare at Kira. The Jedi was sitting across the room at the terminal, feet propped up on the main console, managing to look equal parts bored and amused. It should've been too late in the morning for Rei to justify being as tired as she was, except that she'd spent the entire night before reading; it was well into the early hours of the morning when she'd finally made it to bed, and she wasn't sure whether she was more frustrated with the fact that she was such a slow reader, or that she was such a light sleeper. The normal morning sounds of the rest of her crew had been enough to wake her, and Rei had forced herself out of bed. "You might have mentioned it earlier, then."

"I _did_ ," she shot back.

As Rei grabbed one of the three cups — one of which had already been claimed by Raina, judging by the lipstick marks — she asked, "What about everyone else? Zaara and Ashara and…" she paused, trying to remember who had all been at the safehouse when she'd called down earlier that morning. "Teeseven, I think, and Lana and Theron. Where'd they all go?"

She shrugged. "Revanite warehouses. There's a few across the cove, and they went to see if there's any useful information. We're waiting on any of them to call in."

"Most of them are abandoned, or mostly, anyway," Raina clarified. "Zaara and Ashara went to one up the coast, Cori and Teeseven are on their way back from one on the other side of town, and Kira and Andronikos are already back."

"Yeah, the one we looked into was a dead end. Just a bunch of old stuff from the Nova Blades. Now that they're gone, there wasn't anything useful there." Kira crossed her arms, looking thoughtful for a moment. "The one Lana and Theron went to was an actual safehouse, though. They might actually _find_ something."

"They took Jakarro and Deefour with them. I think Lana was worried they'd run into trouble."

Rei stared down at the caf, resisting the urge to make a face; she still wasn't used to how _strong_ the stuff on Rishi seemed to be. "And when they get back?"

Temple hesitated. "Hopefully, we'll be closer to finding their main base. SCORPIO mentioned she may be able to work out a location based off their communications, but—" She was cut off by the holoterminal springing to life, Zaara's image flickering into view.

"Tell me we've got a location."

"Nope," Kira reported. "Nothing. Still waiting on Lana and Theron, though."

Zaara crossed her arms, frowning. "Is Raina still there? Tell her to go check on SCORPIO. I want those coordinates ready by the time I'm back."

"You got it."

Temple excused herself as the call ended. Rei watched as she left, then turned to Kira. "That book you let Ashara borrow."

She broke out into a wide, knowing grin. "You're hooked."

Rei briefly considered denying it, but knew there was no point; she'd spent the previous evening curled up on the couch with her nose buried in the novel, even while most of the rest of the group had piled into the main room with food and drinks and a game of sabaac Rei was certain they didn't actually ever finish. The meeting with the Mandalorians hadn't been cause for celebration, but they'd celebrated nonetheless, needing a momentary break from their nonstop attempts against the Revanites.

"I'm _interested_."

"You're _hooked_ ," Kira repeated, "and let me guess — you want the other books in the series."

She crossed her arms, hardly able to believe she was about to ask a Jedi for Republic literature. "Yes."

"Tell you what, I'll send it to you, and before we leave Rishi you, me, and Ashara can watch the first movie."

Forgetting entirely that she was attempting to hide her enthusiasm, Rei was about to demand to know more about the holovids when she heard Jakarro return. She couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but he didn't sound particularly happy. Lana cut him off sharply, then there were footsteps leading up to the main room, and Kira and Rei shared a concerned look.

" _Yes, maybe then Theron wouldn't have been taken_."

"What?" Rei sat up at Jakarro's words, twisting to face the doorway.

Lana stopped Jakarro from making any further comments with a stern look. "Theron was taken by the Revanites. There was little we could do, and as unfortunate as it is—"

" _Little we could do? We could have taken them!"_

"As unfortunate as it is," Lana continued, raising her voice, "Theron is now in a position to do what he does best. Should they decide to question him, he'll be able to gather more information than we could using our current strategies."

Kira was now sitting rigidly upright, not quite glaring at Lana. "And why do I get the feeling you were planning on this little opportunity for Theron to _gather information_?"

"You can say _interrogate_. We all know why they took him." Rei frowned as she stood, glancing back at Kira as she tugged her hood back up into place. She was surprised at how _heated_ the news was making her; a good thing, ultimately — she was more than prepared to take care of the rescue mission alone. " _Where_ did they take him, exactly?"

Lana hesitated a moment, her confusion clear. "Their base, I would assume. Nox, why—" She cut off with a short sigh. "You can't go alone."

Rei shot her the most challenging look she could muster. "Of course I can. Unless you're coming, Kira?"

The Jedi glanced between the two Sith, as if uncertain whether she could still trust Rei. "I'll go find Cori and Teeseven," she decided, "and we'll meet up with you."

"Fair enough." There was something about the entire situation that unsettled her, though she couldn't quite place what it was. It wasn't that — if Jakarro was to be believed — Lana had allowed it to happen. As much as she hated it, Rei was almost surprised something like this hadn't happened earlier.

She'd _hoped_ Rishi would give her some time away from Sith and their damned calculated maneuvering.

Lana was right, of course. She was always right. The current situation placed them — or _would_ , once they got Theron back — at an advantage, but that didn't mean Rei had to like it. At all.

"Next time we have to send someone to be captured, send Zaara. She likes that sort of thing," Rei announced as she made her way to the entrance of the safehouse.

" _Nox_."

Rei made it out to the alleyway before Lana caught up with her. "If you don't want me to go alone," she conceded, turning to face her, " _fine_. I'll take SCORPIO with me."

"That's a good idea, yes. But you can't just go storming into the base," Lana argued. "We never got the exact coordinates, but if it's in the general area we believe it to be, there's a Rishii village nearby. Go there, secure whatever assistance you can, and when Zaara and the others return, we'll join you."

Lips pursed, Rei considered the suggestion. It was the smarter way to go about it, certainly, but it was also an unnecessary waste of time. "Or, I _could_ just storm the base."

"And risk Theron's life in the process. We have to be smart about this, Nox."

Her shoulders drooped. "Yes, fine. Alright. I'll get SCORPIO and we'll go to the village."

* * *

She didn't regret her decision.

Lana had known that Nox would be upset. Though, honestly, she'd expected a more violent outburst; if there was one thing Lana had learned since Nox's arrival on Rishi, it was that she was fiercely protective of those she cared for — namely, her crew and Zaara and more recently, T7 and Theron. That Nox had simply stormed off to rescue Theron was, somehow, much more troubling.

Zaara, at least, would understand, and between the two of them Lana was certain they could work out a successful rescue operation and get Theron back safely. It was a calculated risk, and one she would make again if needed. She would prefer _not_ to, of course; even disregarding her personal feelings towards Theron, she had no desire to unnecessarily facilitate the capture and torture of _anyone_ in their little group.

Still, the destruction of the Revanites was far more important than the opinions of any one person.

Lana stood as she heard footsteps coming up the stairs, relaxing as Zaara joined her. "SCORPIO has coordinates," the agent announced. "I was thinking I could head over with Raina and Jakarro, scout out the area and get a plan together, but then I ran into Kira. She says I should get an explanation from you?"

"Yes, and she's understandably upset, given the circumstances. Theron was captured at the Revanite safehouse, and we believe he's being held at their base." Lana kept her gaze focused on Zaara, trying to gauge the agent's response. "Nox is… unhappy. But it was a carefully considered decision, allowing the Revanites to take him. I assume you understand."

Nodding slowly, Zaara leaned forward. "Risky, but there's a lot we can learn." She stood, clasping her hands behind her back and beginning to pace in front of the couch. After a few moments of silence, Zaara turned to face Lana. "What sort of rescue do we have planned? I'll need to alert Lokin. Raina and I are the obvious choice for a rescue team, though Teeseven could be useful. Keep Rei and Cori nearby. What do we know about the base itself?"

"Just the location. There's a Rishii village nearby, and Nox is already headed there. We planned to meet her once everyone was gathered again, and we can formulate a plan from there. Her preferred method, I believe, is a full assault on the base."

Zaara was silent for several moments, staring down at the floor. "When you say _carefully considered_ ," she asked, voice terse, "you mean for _you_. Theron wasn't informed."

"Yes. I couldn't risk discovery by the Revanites," Lana defended. "And I couldn't even be certain he'd agree to it."

"You realize he's likely done this before? _I've_ done this before. It comes with the job." Zaara placed her hands on her hips and she shook her head, giving a humorless chuckle. "Lana, you're brilliant, but this is a disaster. You don't send someone off on a mission without telling them everything they need to know. Especially not a mission like this."

Lana crossed her arms, frowning; she didn't need a lecture from Zaara. "In any case, it's done, and we should focus our efforts on Theron instead of arguing amongst ourselves."

"Right. I'll gather a team. Send me the coordinates and we'll get started. Oh—" She paused before reaching the doorway, "—and for future reference, if you ever decide this is the best way to proceed, I'm volunteering right now. I'll go. You can fill me in without worrying I'll back out. And if you're not sure if I make a convincing prisoner, ask Lokin about Corellia."

* * *

Rei paced along the path in front of the hut the rest of the group was in, glaring up at the bright noon sun.

She was impatient on the _best_ days, and _today_ hadn't exactly been off to a stellar start. Between waiting for Lana and trying to get everyone caught up on the situation, they'd spent far more time talking than Rei could stand. She and SCORPIO had decided before they'd even reached the village that the two of them could easily make a quick, concentrated strike on the Revanite base. If that's where they were keeping Theron, they'd find him and leave. And if not, there had to be _some_ valuable information within the base.

Despite being incredibly unnerving, SCORPIO was a valuable ally. Not that Rei trusted her enough to admit it, though.

Still, she was the only other one who wasn't shooting down every suggestion that Rei made — Lana seemed to disagree with everything she said, Zaara kept insisting they needed to handle the situation carefully, and Cori was too lost in her own thoughts to contribute much. Rei had endured their arguing for most of the morning, but had finally left when Zaara began suggesting they investigate the nearby camps before even hitting the stronghold.

More than the rest of the group, though, Rei was frustrated with _herself_. She was… well, _worried_ didn't seem to quite cover it. There were a dozen different emotions roiling within her — worry was one of them, yes, and anger, and impatience. She'd learned long ago that she could turn this situation into an advantage — to harness the discord and let it fester and simmer within her until she was ready to channel it.

But Rei was _too_ tense, like a wire pulled taut, and needed an outlet to keep her from snapping.

Pacing wasn't helping much.

In the relative quiet of the afternoon, with little but the sounds of wildlife and the distant crackling of the fire to distract her, Rei had far too many opportunities to think. She didn't want to _think_ , she wanted to _do_ , but wasn't left with much choice except to wait for Zaara and Lana to come up with a plan. As much as Rei was certain that she could tear through the base herself — especially given the unexpected intensity of her reaction — the others were concerned that if they revealed themselves to the Revanites, Theron would be seen as no more than leverage, and possibly not even that.

Theron wasn't expendable.

So Rei paced, avoiding everyone until Zaara approached her after what seemed like _hours_ of deliberation. The agent stood beside her, arms crossed, amusement clear on her face. "You're worried," she commented lightly.

She was teasing, and Rei felt obligated to argue. But every protest fell flat, and she finally settled for a cursory glare up at Zaara before giving a frustrated sigh and frowning.

"You _are_ worried." Surprise colored her voice now, though the teasing edge hadn't quite disappeared.

"I'm… I don't know," Rei admitted, the irritation clear in her voice. It wasn't necessarily the _concern_ that had her on edge, but the fact that it was connected to _Theron_. And she didn't particularly feel like talking about it. "But I _do_ know I'd feel much better about this all if we would actually do something. We've waited too long," she decided. "This could've been taken care of hours ago if I'd gone alone."

"Or it would've been a disaster, and we'd be searching for Theron _and_ you. He'll be fine, you know. I don't know the extent of his implants, but he's mentioned pain inhibitors, at the very least. And I've—" Zaara's words ended abruptly, and when she spoke again, her voice was deceptively lighter. "Well, I happen to know the Republic trains its agents well."

Shoulders slumping, Rei tossed an exasperated glance at Zaara. That subject had been the one line of thought she'd been trying to _avoid_ ; she was no stranger to torture, giving _or_ receiving, and the thought made her more than a bit uncomfortable. "Training or no, people _break_ ," she deadpanned.

"Which is exactly why we need to handle this delicately," Zaara reminded her.

" _Handling it delicately_ has just meant sitting here doing nothing. We should—"

 _"_ _Except_ ," Zaara cut her off, "we haven't been doing nothing. We've got a plan. In a couple of hours, we'll be finished here and should be in a much better position to plan out a final strike against the Revanites."

"And?" she prompted.

"You were there when we discussed the camps to the south of the main base? Raina, Teeseven, and I will infiltrate the camps — the Imperial side will be simple, and I've got a couple ideas for the Republic camp — while Cori and SCORPIO make their way to the Revanites' fleet." Zaara gestured as she spoke, pointing out at vague points on the horizon to illustrate her plan. "At best, we can send out some sort of false report to lessen security, at worst we'll at least have more information on the base itself. When we're ready to hit the base, Cori will do what she can to take down as many of their ships as possible, and SCORPIO will force her way into their systems." She gave a satisfied nod, placing her hands on her hips. "In one quick, simultaneous strike, we'll do a _lot_ of damage."

Rei waited for her to continue; when Zaara didn't, Rei prompted, "Theron? And what about me—you don't expect me to sit here and _wait_ , do you?"

Staring out towards the Revanite camps, Zaara chewed at her lip a moment before answering, her own concern begin to show. "We're assuming he's at the base. If not, we'll have to rethink the second part of the plan. And _you_ ," she turned to Rei, any hint of hesitation gone, "will join us at the stronghold. Between me and Teeseven, we should be able to come up with _something_ to clear you a path." Before Rei could argue, she added, "It's too risky to bring you with us to the camps. We need to be quick and quiet, and a Sith would stand out too much."

" _Fine_."

* * *

 _There is no passion, there is serenity._

Cori focused.

The distant thrum of the ocean, waves rolling in at a pace similar to her own heartbeat. The too-warm sun on her face, the heat severe enough that beads of sweat would soon slip down her forehead. The barely-there scent of the smoke, drifting slowly towards her in the stillness of the Rishi air.

 _There is no chaos, there is harmony_.

And underneath it all, behind every sensation and every thought she tried to capture, was Lana. It had become increasingly difficult to drive the Sith from her thoughts when she meditated, especially since their…

Cori refused to call it a _date_. But ever since then.

It was no longer a simple matter of constantly having Lana on her mind — that had been simple. Now, it _consumed_ her, never allowing her a moment of peace, emotions churning within her that she didn't even have _names_ for.

Meditating wasn't working.

She pulled herself to her feet, taking a slow breath to try and steady herself before turning to the Rishii hut they were staying in. Both Zaara and Lana looked up as she entered, and Cori took another breath. "I need to speak with Lana." Her sister left them alone without question, and Cori realized she had no idea what to say.

Lana spoke first, after several moments of silence. "Typical, I suppose, isn't it?" Her voice didn't shake, but it was more than a little uncertain. "It's the cunning Sith who betrays the trust of the alliance?"

It was confirmation enough. Still concentrating on her breathing, Cori smoothed her expression and waited until she was certain her voice wouldn't waver before she spoke. "You _did_ allow Theron to be taken, then?"

"Yes, I did." She paused. "It's a decision I stand by." Another pause. "Cori, I—"

Cori shook her head, turning to go back outside. "I should prepare. We have a lot to do." She ignored Zaara's concerned comments, instead walking silently down the path towards the main village. She had no specific destination in mind, and wouldn't stay long, but Cori needed a few moments to collect herself.

She could hear masters' voices within her thoughts — Orgus, Kiwiiks, Satele, even her own voice — berating her. _This is what attachments lead to_. Not to mention all the warnings about Sith that she'd continued to ignore, ever since first meeting Lana on Manaan.

Of all the times she'd found herself tempted, and it was _Lana_ who she'd felt strongly enough about to try and follow through. Nothing more than brief, experimental dalliances as a padawan, not her initial attraction to Kira, not even when Doc had shown interest and Cori had craved the sensation of being _wanted_.

She didn't share the Order's view on attachments — not entirely, anyway. They were inevitable, whether the other Jedi admitted it or not; masters bonded with their students, young padawans bonded with each other, and the only real danger was when these feelings ran too deeply.

Which was her current predicament.

But they had larger concerns than trying to figure out how — or _if_ — she could reconcile with Lana after this. Yet despite every rational thought and ingrained lesson telling Cori to move on, to put these emotions aside and push past Lana, she found the prospect near-impossible.

Cori understood — truly _understood_ , for the first time — why attachments were such a frightening thing.


	10. Chapter 10

**_A/N:_** _in which rei pines, theron is rescued, and revan isn't actually revan_

* * *

Whatever Zaara had done while at the Republic Revanite camp, it had created enough chaos that Rei could easily slip through the fighting and make her way towards the main stronghold. The entrance had just come into view when an explosion rocked the platform to her right, and Cori spoke over their comm line.

" _One ship down. SCORPIO found a console that should let her access the main systems. We'll keep you updated._ "

" _Good_." Zaara's voice was nearly inaudible. " _We made it into the base, but there's two Jedi guarding the entrance. I assumed they'd leave with the other Revanites to investigate but they haven't, and… it's put us in an unenviable position. Do hurry, Nox."_

Rei sighed and offered a dramatic, "If you insist." She picked up her pace, allowing herself to focus on the Force and the dark energy that simmered within her as the two Jedi came into view. As the hot magenta of her lightsaber blade sprang to life, the mirialan Jedi took notice of her.

The second Jedi, a slender human, leapt at Rei, flourishing a blue saber mid-strike. She stepped out of his reach easily, arcing her own lightsaber in a blow he barely blocked. The human's swings were practiced yet hesitant; Rei assumed he'd either not seen much actual battle, or hadn't ever fought a proper Sith.

Either way, Rei disposed of him easily. The real challenge came with the mirialan — she was impossibly quick, and Rei found herself on the defensive almost immediately, wasting too much time and energy blocking to make any attacks of her own. Letting the battle and the distant sounds of fighting drive her, Rei pushed back with renewed vigor.

Blaster fire rang out — much closer than the conflict in the nearby camps — and Rei caught a glimpse of both Zaara and T7. It stopped the Jedi just long enough for Rei to reach out with the Force, the mirialan's lightsaber dropping to the ground as she reached instinctively for her throat.

There was no rush of fear or despair from the Jedi as Rei had anticipated. Unsatisfied, she pressed further.

Her eyes met the mirialan's as she struggled against Rei's hold, gasping and attempting to force out words that Rei was entirely uninterested in hearing. She kept her gaze trained on the Jedi for several moments, watching as panic finally crept into her eyes, mixing with the defiance there. With a wide sweep of her saber, Rei let the mirialan crumple to the ground.

"We're in a hurry, aren't we?" Rei stepped over the body, clipping her lightsaber back to her belt as she met Zaara, Temple, and T7 at the entrance of the base.

"We are," Zaara confirmed with a curt nod. "There shouldn't be too much resistance inside. As I mentioned earlier, we managed to draw most of the forces over to the camps. SCORPIO and Lana pointed us towards the main security room — it's right up front," she motioned over to her right, "and should get us access to everything we need. Oh," she added, "and on the off-chance Revan _is_ here, I'm sending you after her. The rest of us can take care of Theron."

Rei searched for a reason to argue, but found none; she _was_ the best equipped to confront the former Sith. Frowning, she cautioned, "I would think Lana or I would be able to sense if someone as powerful as Revan were here."

"Like I said, on the off-chance. Cori," she added, speaking over the comm line, "how's it going on your end?"

There was silence for several moments; when Cori finally spoke, she was breathing heavily. " _Good. The largest ships are all taken care of_." More silence. " _But this isn't a fleet, Zaara. This is just a few ships_."

Zaara sighed, squeezing her eyes shut until she answered. "You think the fleet itself is already off the ground?"

" _That, or the Revanites have done a lot of exaggerating_."

"Either way, that's fewer ships they can use against us. Check in with Lana when you're on your way back. Nox is here; we're heading in." Zaara jerked her head towards the interior of the base. "Let's go."

As predicted, they ran into little trouble once inside the stronghold itself, save for a few patrol droids that were easily dealt with. Zaara led them straight to the security room, inspecting the main console as soon as they'd taken care of the lone guard in the room. Rei had barely entered the actual room when the holoterminal in the center flickered to life.

"I applaud your continued efforts, but I'm afraid I have to put an end to them."

Grip tightening on her lightsaber, Rei joined Zaara at the terminal, inspecting their newcomer. The man wore a hooded robe and what looked suspiciously like Revan's mask. "Who are you supposed to be?"

He gave a low chuckle. " _I_ am Revan."

"No you aren't."

" _Regardless_ ," Zaara pointed out, already searching through one of the terminals, "you're in charge, aren't you? You've orchestrated all of this."

"I have." He turned to address Rei. "The title, like the mask, has been passed down to me. I claimed the burden and accepted the honor of cleansing the galaxy, as was intended 300 years ago."

"Noted." Still hunched over the terminal, Zaara glanced back for a moment to ask, "So, are you going to tell us where Theron is, or am I going to have to figure it out on my own?"

"Theron's fate is inconsequential."

Rei crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes as she glared up at Revan's image. She hadn't ever been fortunate enough to Force-choke someone through a holocall, but she was fairly certain she _could_ , if she set her mind to it. "See, I'm going to have to disagree with you, _Revan_. I didn't force my way this deep into your base just to walk away empty-handed."

"Nox," Zaara called, "I've got a location. Theron should be just a few rooms—" She cut off with a frustrated curse. "Temple, see if you can access the security system. Pull up the camera feeds."

"It's amusing to watch you scurry about like this," Revan admitted, voice smug, "when you have no hope of stopping me."

" _No hope_?" Rei shot back. She was well aware that Zaara and Temple could work just fine under pressure, but she figured it couldn't hurt to keep Revan distracted until they were finished. "We've taken your pirates and your Mandalorians, and your most powerful agents within both the Empire and Republic. We've destroyed your base, and your fleet is probably little more than dust by now." Still glaring at Revan, she shrugged. "I'd say we're well on our way to stopping you."

Before Revan could get more than a few words out, he was cut off by Temple. "Zaara, open the east door. I've got the video— Zaara!"

Arms crossed, fingers tapping impatiently, Rei's focus remained on Revan, even as a door to her right slid open. Out of the corner of her eye she caught blaster fire, then a blur of red, then more blaster fire; she took little notice, preparing a retort to the brief defense Revan had been able to put up. "However _irrelevant_ Rishi is to the rest of your plans, the point is — we stopped you. And we'll stop…" Rei trailed off as she realized Revan was no longer paying attention to her.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you were able to escape so quickly, Theron. Though I should've expected it, considering our shared heritage."

That was enough to break Rei's stubborn concentration. "Theron?" She turned to find him next to Zaara, breathing heavily and looking… well, Rei had expected worse. Considering the circumstances, she was more than happy to have been proven wrong. An unexpected wave of relief flooded through her, and she couldn't hold back a wide grin. "And here I was already planning revenge." Her voice was deliberately light, any genuine concern pushed roughly aside.

"Yes, Theron's back and ruined your chance at a heroic rescue, and now it's very important that we leave." Irritation colored Zaara's already tense voice. "I'm sending anything relevant to SCORPIO, and once I overload the—"

"No time." Theron shook his head. "Revan's got a signal jammer blocking communications in the Rishi system. The fleets—" He cut off with a grimace. "The Republic and Imperial fleets," he continued, more slowly, "will drop out of hyperspace right on top of each other."

"Right," Zaara interrupted before Theron could explain any further. "How does the entrance look, Temple?"

"Mostly clear." She pulled up the security feeds on the monitors above the terminal. "A few droids out towards the main hallway. I can access the exterior security if you give me a moment."

"No, Theron's right — we don't have time. Nox, you go ahead and clear the way. We have to get back to the village as quickly as we can."

* * *

"Look, I appreciate the concern, but I should be—"

"I know." Zaara kept her voice even; in Theron's position, she wouldn't even have made it to the Rishii hut they'd turned into a makeshift med clinic. Honestly, she was surprised he wasn't arguing more than he was. "But you don't have to be. Not yet. SCORPIO is still working on that data, and I think between the rest of us, we can come up with a plan for the signal jammer. Plus, it looks like we have a bit of breathing room for the moment. There will still be _plenty_ for you to do by the time Lokin's finished with you."

He scoffed. "That doesn't sound threatening at all."

"It shouldn't," she shot back lightly, though the playfulness in her tone disappeared almost immediately. "He's got plenty of experience with agents and won't keep you here a moment longer than necessary. Just…" Zaara paused, biting at her lip. There was too much at stake for the tense mistrust that had arisen from Theron's capture, however warranted it was. "I know it doesn't help, but for what it's worth, it wasn't personal. She saw an opportunity, and she took it. It was the right idea, if badly executed."

"I know. And no, it doesn't help."

"I've spoken with her about it, at least. And if Nox gets her way, Lana won't be living this down for a while."

"Nox?"

Zaara gave an exasperated chuckle, rolling her eyes. "Yes, Nox. I suppose you _did_ miss the part where she was ready to tear the base apart alone once she learned you'd been captured."

Theron tossed her an impressed look, his surprise evident though it faded quickly. "She's threatened to do that every day for the past two weeks," he pointed out.

" _Threatening_ to do something while she's sitting with her nose in a datapad is different than actually marching all the way down here by herself. Speaking of," Zaara paused, glancing up at the doorway, "I should go check on the others. I know we have _some_ time to spare, but I'd rather not press our luck." She excused herself, slipping out of the makeshift clinic; she'd intended to meet with Lana and SCORPIO, but changed her mind when she caught sight of her sister.

Cori was sitting a few meters away from the main hut, on a small overhang that faced the remains of the Revanite base. It wasn't clear whether she was meditating, or had simply stepped out for a bit of peace.

"Busy?" Placing her hands on her hips, Zaara stared down at Cori, trying to see past her calm focus.

"I spoke with Lana," she admitted after a moment. "About… Theron."

It was Zaara's turn to hesitate; even if she could find the words to explain why Lana's actions weren't as damnable as Cori likely found them, Zaara couldn't be certain that Cori would even understand — she'd been a Jedi for far too long. "She's Sith," she offered awkwardly.

"I know. And I've seen it — what Sith can do — and I've heard Lys talk about… well, about all the times she's been betrayed, I just never…"

"Betrayed?" Zaara echoed. She sat beside her sister, crossing her legs and giving Cori a nudge with her shoulder. "Lana's a lot of things, but she's not a _traitor_. Efficient, pragmatic, a bit ruthless, maybe. She's _Sith_."

Turning to look at Zaara, Cori titled her head a bit, caution shining plainly in her deep brown eyes. "Would you have done it? Would Darth Nox?"

"I would've arranged for _myself_ to be captured," she answered automatically. "Full disclosure, rescue plans, backup — none of this spur of the moment mess. But yes, I would've."

Her voice hardened. "That's not what I asked."

"Would I have sent an ally — a friend — unknowingly to be captured and tortured for the sake of a mission?" Zaara sighed, lips twisting into a frown as she mulled the question over in her mind. "Yes," she finally answered, drawing the word out slowly. "If there were absolutely no other options. Which, in this case, I believe there were."

All the Jedi training in the galaxy couldn't have hidden Cori's disappointment. She recoiled at Zaara's words, eyes searching her sister's face before she turned back to stare out over the terrain, folding her hands delicately in her lap.

It was clear Zaara was no longer welcome; standing, she placed a gentle hand on Cori's shoulder. "There's a reason I'm glad you ended up with the Jedi, Cori." Leaving her to her thoughts, Zaara made her way back to the main hut. She found Raina at the main terminal, with Lana and Rei in quiet conversation.

"Between what Theron told us and the data SCORPIO retrieved, we have a few hours before we need to worry," Lana informed her as she approached. "The rest of the team has been alerted. I'll see what I can do about securing transportation, and let you know if anything changes."

* * *

Rei figured she shouldn't have been surprised when Zaara shooed her out of the hut. Her pacing, apparently, was _distracting._

She couldn't help it. She'd been on edge all day, even once they'd found Theron. Or perhaps, moreso after they'd found him; Rei was practically buzzing with relief and concern and white-hot rage — though _that_ was directed at Revan, not Theron. Her frustration with Lana had dulled, at least.

Pacing outside wasn't helping anymore than it had inside. She had no other way to expend her energy, though, at least not for the moment, so she continued making slow circles across the lower Rishii village. It wasn't until she saw Lokin leave the smaller of the two huts — the one he'd set up in to make up for the lack of a proper medclinic — that it occurred to her to actually go and check on Theron.

The makeshift clinic was small, almost uncomfortably so, and littered with various medical equipment — some of which made Rei suspicious despite having no idea what any of it did. Although, the fact that it all belonged to Lokin was more than enough to make her skin crawl. Theron sat on one of the two cots, with his jacket tossed on the second. He was rolling down his sleeves as Rei approached, raising an eyebrow as he caught sight of her. "Looking for something?"

"I _wasn't_ , but now I'm thinking I may need to find a kolto tank for you." Her remark was deliberately blithe, any genuine concern pushed aside for her less genuine lightheartedness. It occurred to Rei that she hadn't actually yet seen the extent of his injuries, considering how chaotic things had been at the stronghold; with Theron on the low-sitting cot and the clinic as small as it was, Rei was close enough to see the bruises and the discoloration around his implants and the half-healed split in his lip that divided his grin.

She was staring.

Clearing her throat, Rei slipped past Theron to inspect the equipment at the far side of the hut, carefully picking up a syringe filled with a liquid far bluer and more iridescent than any medicine had a right to be. It wasn't until she turned to face Theron again, syringe discarded on the table, that he responded to her earlier comment.

"When this is all over, sure," he shrugged. "There's too much to take care of for now."

With a quiet _hmm_ in agreement, Rei crossed her arms, tilting her head a bit and suppressing the urge to argue. It must've been an _agent_ thing, she supposed, to refuse to stop when there was still work to be done. Zaara was the same way, and it was just a frustrating when she did it.

 _Though less worrying_ , Rei corrected herself, frowning; it wasn't her concern for Theron that was perplexing her anymore, but her relief that he was safe, which she still hadn't entirely processed.

She was pulled from her thoughts by Theron's voice. "Nox—"

"Rei," she corrected automatically; her name slipped out before she was even aware, but as soon as she spoke she was certain it was a revelation she was comfortable making. When Theron offered only a confused look in return, she clarified, "Reiyaxa. My name. _Nox_ is—" she gave a light wave of her hand, hoping to downplay the significance, "—little more than a title."

"Rei." He spoke slowly, almost thoughtfully, as if trying to determine if the name was a good fit. "You look a little… tense."

She couldn't hold back a quiet laugh. "Is it that obvious? Zaara said the same thing." The same agitation from before flared up again, tempered only by the fact that Theron was sitting right in front of her, safe. "I suppose I'll feel better once we find Revan. Or, whoever. I plan to give him a very personal, very _painful_ explanation as to why this all was incredibly intolerable."

" _Right_. That's very… Sith." Despite his tone, Theron's expression was amused, one eyebrow raised and a smile tugging at the edge of his lips.

"And you expected…?"

He shrugged. "Point taken."

Rei tapped her fingers against her arm, growing restless in the sudden silence. Vague threats and blase remarks were easy to make, and it _should've_ been easy to offer a simple _I'm glad you're safe_ , but she couldn't seem to force the words out. "You know," she managed, voice not quite as nonchalant as she would've liked, "this whole _look_ — the beaten and bruised thing — it's not very flattering." She reached out, unthinking, fingers brushing lightly over the discoloration on one of his cheeks. Almost immediately, Rei pulled her hand back, clearing her throat and crossing her arms tightly.

"Rei?" Theron — to Rei's relief — looked almost as conflicted as she felt. "I appreciate the rescue. Even if, you know, it wasn't really needed. It was nice to see a friendly face — weird as it is to say that about a Sith."

"Well, it was nice to see you were still mostly in one piece." Having finally managed what she'd been trying to say, Rei flashed an uncertain smile and excused herself, feeling far more victorious than she knew she should. As she ducked out of the makeshift clinic, Rei nearly ran straight into Ashara.

Her apprentice rolled her eyes before even saying anything. "Lana's looking for you. She and Zaara have worked out a plan, but the fleets are almost here so they want to head out soon." She paused, frowning a bit before adding, "Do I… do I even want to know?"

"Know what?"

Ashara glanced towards the clinic, then shook her head. "That look, like you— Actually, no. You know what, I _don't_ want to know. Are you coming, or should I tell Lana to start without you?"

Rei waved off her comments. "Lead the way. And there's nothing _to_ know, so you're not missing out."

"Whatever. That's what you said about Zash, and you've been pining over her for _years_."

"You'd understand if you met Zash when I did. She was beautiful, and clever, and the first woman to really treat me with the respect I deserve, and yes, I did admittedly hero-worship her a bit," Rei pointed out, vaguely aware she was rambling but unable to stop. "But if I was _really_ so hopeless for her like you _claim_ , wouldn't I still be trying to make things work? The whole _trapped in the body of a Deshade_ thing doesn't really matter, since I have no desire for a sexual relationship, _ever_ , and—"

"Nox, you're pining over Zash again."

Rei scoffed. Ashara _might_ have had a point about Zash and missed chances, but it really wasn't fair to compare a years-long, complex and evolving relationship with some minor infatuation that she was still discovering.

Although, that _was_ how it had begun with Zash, back in the Academy; except now, Rei was one of the most powerful Sith in the galaxy and not just an inexperienced acolyte constantly overwhelmed by the sheer number of _choices_ to make each day. The only thing stopping her was herself.

Regardless of the fact that it was a terrible idea, her feelings for Theron would become irrelevant once they dealt with Revan, anyway. And really, what sort of Sith would she be if she didn't allow herself to indulge a bit — even if only momentarily?

Before they entered the hut where Lana and the others were gathered, Rei placed a hand on Ashara's shoulder and sighed. "This is all your fault, and I just want to let you know that you'll be subject to any updates and all the details."

"At this point, I'll take that instead of having to listen about Zash."


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N:** in which rei is ace, the barsen'thor shows up, and rei and theron attempt that "heartfelt conversation" thing_

 _you don't want to know how many times I rewrote this goddamn chapter. please take it before I rewrite it again._

* * *

Theron was not, by nature, an anxious person. But with as much as was on the line at that moment, he could admit to being a bit nervous.

He watched impatiently as the terminal tried and failed to establish a connection, their attempts at contacting either fleet pointless until the signal jammer was taken care of. There was little left to do but wait, and Theron found himself growing restless; between his efforts and SCORPIO's, they'd finished decrypting the last of the Revanite data around the same time as they'd lost contact with their team.

 _Their team_ , which was no small part of the reason he was so on edge. Or _part_ of the team, at least.

Just one part, really — Nox. _Rei_.

He would've liked to say that he was frustrated, or annoyed, or even outright unaffected by her — she was _Sith_ , after all. She was the _enemy_ , and that distinction would only get more clear if the Republic and Empire were to get involved on an official level. Of course, that was almost simple to ignore when Theron considered that, of the Sith he was currently working alongside, only one had arranged for his capture and subsequent interrogation and it hadn't been Nox.

Though, he supposed that shouldn't have been comforting. After all, Lana had been far easier to trust at first; she was pragmatic — ruthlessly so, evidently — but she had still been so level-headed and willing to compromise and work together. Even if Nox was more… _volatile_ , it had been easy to get caught up in her natural charisma, the easy lightheartedness that would've been unnerving if it weren't so _genuine_.

And she _smiled_ all the time — when she fought, when she read, when she argued with Ashara — it was impossible to ignore. Unless, he considered, that was a problem that was uniquely his.

He got the feeling it _was_. Which, of course, was a _terrible_ idea, on account of Nox being not only Sith, but a member of the Dark Council; there weren't really that many people in the galaxy who would've been _worse_ choices to develop feelings for.

Groaning in frustration, Theron massaged one of his temples, aware of the concerned look Lana was giving him. She could _stay_ concerned, for all he cared.

"Are you…" Lana cleared her throat, hesitating before speaking again. "Any word from our team? Or the fleets?"

"No." Leaning back in his chair, Theron turned his focus back to the terminal, which still hadn't been able to establish a connection. "We'll know the second they get that jammer disabled, though. The lists are all set to upload, so…" he trailed off, giving a little shrug. "Just waiting."

"Good. They should be close, I would assume."

"Yeah."

"Theron—"

Before Lana could continue, Kira appeared in the doorway, asking for any new updates. Lana slipped out of the room, giving some vague excuse as to why she was leaving, while Theron filled Kira in — which, considering they'd lost contact with their team, didn't leave much to say.

Placing a hand on her hip, Kira glanced back towards the doorway. "So Lana's still being… weird. Looks like you and Cori's little club is down to just you."

Tearing his eyes away from the display — Theron wasn't sure why he was even still watching when he knew the connection would continue to fail — he asked, "What _club_?"

"The _I met a Sith and decided I wanted to get into her pants_ club."

"That's—" Theron searched for an argument, but nothing seemed quite convincing enough. "I mean, it's—"

Kira smirked. "What? Not possible because it's _Nox the asexual Sith_? Which I'm pretty sure is ironic, you know, since Sith and—" She stopped abruptly, shaking her head. "The point here is _you_ , not her. Just because it's never going to happen doesn't mean you haven't thought about it."

Theron wasn't willing to dignify that with a response.

"At least you won't have a personal crisis over the whole _attachments_ thing. I mean, I'm here for Cori, but at this point I'm starting to get more stressed out than she is."

"Speaking of Cori," Theron interrupted, looking for a way to cut their current conversation short, "didn't she have some job for you?"

"I'm doing it." Sitting in one of the empty chairs, Kira shrugged. "She just wanted me to stay behind to keep an eye on Lana. But you're changing the subject," she pointed out.

"And?"

" _And_ details," she prodded. "Nox has been trying to get a rise out of you since day one. She's just… less creepy and awkward about it now. You typically complain about having to put up with her shit, but lately you look at her like she hung the moon. At least, right up until she mentions the Empire."

She was exaggerating. She _had_ to be.

Still, the observation made him uncomfortable. Kira wasn't the one he'd wanted to have this conversation with, either — granted, he wasn't looking forward to the conversation _at all_ , but Kira certainly wasn't who he'd had in mind. Before Theron could find a way to fill the somewhat awkward silence between them, the terminal beeped, signaling a successful connection. "Guess you'll have to wait on those details."

* * *

Upon returning to the safehouse, Zaara was greeted with a tense atmosphere; it was uncomfortable, though not at all unexpected.

She'd sent most of her own crew back to the ship, hoping to alleviate — or, at the very least, not contribute to — the stress that the looming meeting would undoubtedly bring. Rei seemed to have done similarly, though Kira stood with Cori and Theron on the far side of the main room.

"Updates?" Zaara prompted as she joined Rei and Lana.

"Darth Marr should be here momentarily," Lana informed her.

"And Satele?"

It was Theron who answered. "She's on her way."

She acknowledged him with a nod. The divide between the two teams was unmistakable, more so than it had been when they'd first joined forces on Manaan. Zaara wondered idly whether that was the continued influence of Theron's capture, or the result of both the Empire and the Republic involving themselves full force.

As Lana had said, Marr arrived soon after Zaara, addressing the Imperial team with a nod. Satele arrived moments later, with a second Jedi trailing close after her. The rosy-skinned twi'lek towered over the grandmaster, her broad-shouldered build one of a soldier, despite the elaborate robes she wore.

"I wasn't aware we were to have additional company," Zaara commented lightly.

"This is T'sereen Neiri," Satele explained, "the Barsen'thor of our order. Seeing as she commands the bulk of our fleet above Rishi, I thought it reasonable for her to accompany me."

Suppressing her discomfort at the twi'lek's steely glare, Zaara took a step forward and cleared her throat. "I suppose no other introductions are necessary. As I'm sure you know, Theron and Lana organized our team — beginning months ago with the original occupations of Korriban and Tython, and culminating with our victory here on Rishi. While we were successful against the Revanites as a whole, we were unable to deal with Revan himself. Which," she paused, nodding towards Theron, "is why we're suggesting a temporary alliance as we move forward to Yavin 4."

"Revan _himself_?" Satele echoed.

"Himself," Zaara confirmed slowly. "It's… He's another of Revan's descendants, and took up the mask and, apparently, the name as a sort of… birthright."

"The guy's got an ego bigger than his fleet," Theron commented, crossing his arms. "But he also has the weight that comes with Revan's name and thousands of loyal followers. He's a very real threat, even if he's trying to systematically destroy both the Jedi and the Sith like… like Zaara said, some sort of twisted birthright."

T'sereen shook her head. "Revan — the _real_ Revan, the Jedi Master Layla Karris — never intended to destroy the Jedi. She parted ways with the order, but she was never hostile with them."

"Please, do try to explain that to our current Revan," Rei challenged. "I'm _sure_ talking will solve everything in this case."

"I'm not suggesting we talk."

Satele held out a hand, silencing T'sereen. "Agent Ven, was it? You mentioned Yavin 4."

"Yes." Zaara hesitated a bit, glancing over at Theron. "Do you…?"

He gave a long sigh, but nodded regardless. "After getting to spend a little quality time with some of Revan's interrogation probes, I learned he's _obsessed_ with bloodlines. He was _very_ insistent that I join him on Yavin 4." Grabbing his datapad, Theron pulled up a projection of Yavin 4 on the holoterminal display. "I don't have exact coordinates, but…" A section of the moon lit up, illuminating a thick jungle terrain.

It was T'sereen who spoke up first. "Why Yavin 4?"

"He seems to think he can strike at the heart of the Sith there."

Satele and Cori shared a quick, worried glance that Zaara almost missed. "The emperor," the grandmaster confirmed.

With a low _hmm —_ it was unclear to Zaara whether it was thoughtful or disdainful — Marr stared down at the display for several moments before speaking. "He will attempt to bring the emperor back into a physical form to strike down."

" _Good_ ," Rei scoffed. "The emperor's a useless piece of—" She trailed off as all eyes in the safehouse turned to her; however, it was Satele who she directed her retort at. "Yes, sorry, we're not all mindless drones serving an absent deity. The more important thing is — can it be done?"

Not moving from the Yavin display, Marr nodded slowly. "Returning him to a physical form — almost certainly. Killing him — certainly _not_."

"Sith lies. Everything can be killed."

Finally turning, Marr regarded the Barsen'thor with a cold intensity that chilled even Zaara. "I'm afraid not, Master Jedi," he said curtly. "The emperor would endeavor to devour all life within the galaxy, and we would be hopeless to stop him."

"But if we stop Revan," Lana spoke up, "we at least buy ourselves time. The emperor — he's weakened at the moment. There's little he can do."

"Correct."

T'sereen didn't look satisfied, but she didn't push any further, either. "To Yavin 4, then? A temporary alliance, to end this false Revan?"

"Even between the two of us and our combined allies on the council, I don't think we'd manage a formal truce," Rei mused, glancing over at Marr. "Will our current forces do? I can send for…" She paused, her face scrunching in thought; she had plenty of allies to call on, and a fleet of her own, but wasn't certain how many would be available at such short notice. "Well, I'm sure I can throw in _something_ for support."

"We're in a similar situation," Satele admitted. "Even if I petitioned the Senate for assistance, it would take far too long to get approval. But my troops are loyal to me, and I'm sure Master Neiri will lend her aid, as well?"

It was clear Satele was leaving her little choice in the matter. "Yes, of course," T'sereen agreed, offering a sharp nod.

"Then it's settled. Agent Ven," Marr offered a brief nod. "Nox, I'll be in touch. Lord Beniko, I believe we have much to discuss, in light of recent events."

"Yes, my lord." Lana gave a shallow bow. She hesitated, glancing over at Cori, then followed Marr out of the safehouse.

Zaara herself was prepared to leave; she'd taken care of everything earlier after they'd returned and, despite the (mostly) relaxing few weeks on Rishi, she was more than ready to get back to working official jobs for the Empire. "Rei?" she prompted. "You'll be heading out?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes, though not quite yet. I've got things to wrap up, business to settle. I need to run by Kaas City, too." Turning to Zaara, she nodded again. "I'll let you know when I'm close."

"Master Cori?" Zaara called, hoping for one last chance to speak with her before they parted ways. "A moment?"

"I…" Cori hesitated. "On Yavin? I need to speak with Master Satele."

She nodded, unsurprised; being around the grandmaster always brought out the best — meaning _the most infuriatingly Jedi_ — in Cori. Zaara was about to leave when Satele called out to Theron; he gave a feeble excuse, at first, but Satele wasn't deterred.

"You mentioned interrogations — Master Neiri is an adept healer. And if you needed more time on Rishi, she and her crew aren't leaving until tomorrow."

Out of more respect for Theron than Satele, Zaara urged Rei out of the safehouse, leaving the others to converse in relative privacy. "Kaas City?" she prompted once they were back in the alleyway.

Rei waved off the question. "Just normal business. And Zash left a message for me earlier; apparently I'm quite popular. Everyone wants to meet with me."

With a wide grin, Zaara nudged Rei with her hip. "Just give me the name."

"Darth Acina, who I need to meet with anyway." Rei offered a bright smile of her own, shrugging. " And Darth Praetis. She's not so bad, and probably just wants to find out how to get on my good side. So, _no_ assassinations."

" _Praetis_." Zaara tossed the unfamiliar name around in her mind. She was familiar with Acina, but _Praetis_ was a name she hadn't heard.

"She's a bit of a socialite. You'd like her, I think. Lots of mystery and family drama."

Zaara couldn't hold back a laugh at that. "True. I'll look into her on the way to Yavin. Rei," she called, stopping the rattataki before the two split ways, "while you're there, see if you can get Lys to come with you. She started this with us, and she's the sort who likes to see things through."

Rei nodded, promising to do what she could to get the Wrath to Yavin 4. Headed to her ship, Zaara let out a long sigh, already anticipating that the next step of their mission would be anything but easy.

* * *

Sitting at the very foot of her bed, Rei glared down at her holocomm. It sat on her solitary pink pillow, silent though it had been beeping incessantly a moment before.

She wasn't ready to return to the council.

It wasn't that she was particularly behind on work; Zash still filtered through anything sent to Rei and forwarded along anything urgent or that she couldn't take care of herself. Mostly, she was simply not ready to leave Rishi, to put an official end to her impromptu vacation with Zaara. Though it hadn't quite been the relaxing few weeks she'd been hoping for, it had at least been a nice change of scene; there was something about reading council reports on the beach that made official Imperial business far less tedious.

And then, of course, there was Theron. With all that had happened over the past few days, Rei knew it would be easy to dismiss… _whatever_ it was that was between them as inconsequential, something not worth attempting to follow up on. While part of her was more than prepared to march back off the ship to find Theron, part of her was convinced she should just leave.

She was considering it; besides, everything would change once they got to Yavin, anyway. Rei wouldn't just be a member of a team that Zaara had dragged her into — she'd be a member of the Dark Council, negotiating alongside Darth Marr on behalf of the Empire.

As much as she enjoyed her title and position, it _was_ proving a bit inconvenient at that moment.

Even after talking it over with Ashara — Rei had kept her promise of delivering any updates to her apprentice — she wasn't certain she should get her hopes up, let alone _act_ on them. She sighed, flopping onto her side and sprawling out across her bed. If she simply left for Kaas City, nothing would happen and things would return to normal.

Rei was in the middle of debating with herself when she remembered a very important detail — she'd forgotten Ashara's damn book at the safehouse.

Which, really, left her no choice.

Ordinarily, Rei would've just told Ashara to go get the book herself if she wanted to have it when they left. Instead, she swiped her holocomm from her pillow and marched off the ship, announcing she'd be back in a few minutes. Storming through the town before she could change her mind, Rei darted through the crowded streets as she made her way up to the safehouse.

Considering her scattered state of mind, she was halfway up the safehouse stairs before she heard the voices; Rei recognized Theron's easily, and was almost certain the second was T'sereen. Pace not slowing until she reached the top of the stairs, Rei leaned against the doorway and crossed her arms, waiting.

It didn't take long for the twi'lek to notice her. She frowned, her violet eyes flashing with something akin to impatience. "You have a visitor," she pointed out, nodding towards Rei.

Theron turned to face her, raising an eyebrow in question. "Nox?"

" _Nox_?" T'sereen echoed with a scoff.

" _Darth_ Nox," Rei corrected smoothly. "Haven't you heard? I got a promotion. It came with a fancy new name and a seat on the Dark Council."

"I hadn't heard." T'sereen's tone was like ice. She stood, smoothing her robes and silently pushing her chair back to the table; when she spoke again, the politeness was forced. "I should leave you two be. I have my own business to attend to, though I don't imagine it compares to the importance of a councilor." She pushed past Rei as she left, neither of them having made any attempt to move out of the way.

"I didn't realize the two of you were acquainted," Rei remarked cheerily, sauntering into the main room and retrieving Ashara's book from where it still sat on the couch.

He shrugged. "We met a few years ago. And _you_ know the Barsen'thor because…?"

Lips pressed together in thought, Rei leaned against the table beside Theron and crossed her arms. An unfortunate meeting on Alderaan and a slightly less unfortunate meeting on Belsavis didn't quite merit explanations. "We've crossed paths a few times," she finally answered.

"Right." Both answers had been deliberately vague, and Theron didn't press. "And what about why you're still on Rishi? I thought you left when Zaara did?"

"I have… operations here that I've been able to oversee personally. Obviously that's no longer an option, so I've had to make other arrangements. And with everything that's gone on in the past few days, I forgot to grab this." She gave the book a little wave before setting it down beside her. Now that she was actually _here_ , Rei wasn't certain exactly what she wanted or expected.

Before Rei could decide, Theron turned to her and asked, "You said something earlier about Kaas City?"

"Mm. Just a quick trip. The Empire has managed not to collapse in my absence and unfortunately that means people and meetings and paperwork, and at least _one_ dinner party." She was reminded suddenly of all the reservations at various restaurants she still had to make; or rather, that she needed to tell Zash to make. Turning her scattered thoughts back to the present, Rei grinned, "I'll be on Yavin, if that's what you're asking."

He shrugged. "That might be part of it."

"Only _part_ of it? I'm hurt." Rei pulled herself up so she was sitting on the table, letting her feet swing lightly as she cocked her head to the side, lightly commenting, "And here I thought I'd won you over with my natural charm and daring rescues."

Theron didn't answer, his eyes studying her for a moment before he sighed. "It hasn't been what I'd expected, that's for sure. And not just the Revanites, either, or the… _daring rescues_."

"The part where you genuinely enjoy spending time with a Sith really caught you off-guard, didn't it?" Rei asked, mock sympathy coloring her voice. Her fingers tapped arrhythmically along the edge of the table as she waited for an answer; better for Theron to say something than for her to admit something first, regardless of how impatient she felt at that moment.

Impatient, expectant, apprehensive — Rei wasn't entirely certain how to put into words all the things she was feeling, only that sitting and talking with Theron seemed so much more important than either council business or dealing with Revan.

"It did," Theron admitted thoughtfully, fidgeting a bit before adding, " _You_ caught me off guard."

Rei bit back a smart remark; it should've been simple — _I care about you and enjoy spending time with you and think we should take advantage of what little time we have left_ — yet all she'd done since arriving was stall. "Good. I mean — assuming that's a good thing." She paused, the tapping of her fingers growing faster and more discordant. "I would prefer if it were a good thing."

He let out a slow breath, sounding almost relieved as he answered. "It is. But—" Theron ran a hand through his hair; his gaze was unfocused, not quite staring at Rei but at a point just past her. "How long until we take care of Revan?" he asked, eyes once again meeting Rei's. "Go back to being on opposite sides of a war?"

She blinked, his words only half-registering; Rei wasn't certain whether Theron had always been standing so close, or if he'd moved, but she was trying — and failing, _miserably_ — to remember why she'd hesitated to go back to the safehouse in the first place.

Unthinking, Rei leaned forwards, driven by both impulse and the way that Theron was still looking at her, as she pressed her lips to his. It was only a light brush of a kiss — an invitation and a declaration — but it was enough to send a shock of warmth through her. And, she assumed, to make a rather succinct point, given how words seemed to be failing her.

"Giving up on a good thing just because it's going to end is _terrible_ logic," she pointed out, not quite moving away.

"You may have a point." Theron kissed her again, his hands moving to her waist as her own hands moved to rest behind his neck.

There was something undeniably _right_ about the moment, something _deserved_. The part of Rei's otherwise distracted mind that was still capable of coherent thought wondered at how she expected this to end — not the kiss, but the fact that somehow, even in the brief time she'd spent with him, Theron had somehow become an unexpectedly integral part of her own life.

Maybe things would change after Rishi. After Yavin. At some point after that. But that didn't matter — not at the moment.

Rei was smiling as she pulled away, breathless laughter escaping her as she tried to form words. She wanted to apologize — she'd meant to ask, to give some declaration of intent instead of simply giving in to impulse — but it was Theron who spoke first, face flushed and his grin mirroring Rei's.

"Glad we cleared the air."

"Really?" Apologies forgotten and content to remain there until someone came looking for her, she raised an eyebrow. "Because you're welcome to clarify further," she challenged, already leaning in for another kiss.

She would have to thank Zaara for dragging her into this mess in the first place.


	12. Chapter 12

_**20\. June 2016: chapter updated  
A/N: **__in which rei goes to dromund kaas, everyone else goes to yavin, and zaara gets nosy about everyone's love lives._

 _I did say I was going to get better about posting right? I likely won't have much (if any) free time the next couple of weeks, so I'm hoping to get chapter 13 up maybe by tuesday since I'm not sure when I'll have time to keep editing/posting after that._

 _anyway. there's lots of arguing for these guys in the near future._

* * *

As soon as Davri set foot on the surface of Yavin 4, she knew she was making a mistake.

They'd landed near the main camp, with the rest of Havoc staying on the ship until Davri checked in with Theron and knew where they were needed most. A good choice, she quickly decided, considering that the camp was filled with both Republic and Imperial soldiers.

There was a clear divide, with the Imperials on the far side of the camp and the Republic forces tucked away in a corner of a ruined building. Beyond both camps was a clearing that Davri assumed had been set up as a sort of middle ground; Darth Marr, Lana, and Jakarro were huddled around a cluttered table.

As much as she hated the idea, Davri very nearly reported to them before catching sight of Satele Shan. She'd only met the grandmaster once before, but the woman wasn't the sort to be forgotten.

"Master Satele," she greeted warmly.

"Major Sohms." Satele returned the greeting with a nod. "I wasn't aware we were receiving additional Republic support."

"Havoc isn't here on any official business. Theron said he needed help, so," she shrugged, intentionally failing to mention that it had been Zaara who'd originally called for their assistance — as a condition of helping Davri clean up after Eclipse Squad, "here we are." She placed her hands on her hips and scanned the camp, part of her wondering just what exactly she was going to do with Forex. "How's it looking out there? Theron mentioned this is the center of the Revanites' operations?"

Satele frowned. "We haven't been able to locate the Revanites yet," she admitted. "The wildlife is our biggest issue right now. We've got a solid hold on this camp, but we've had little success establishing a forward camp out in the lower wilds."

"That's where we'll go, then."

"Good. Havoc's presence should be enough. At the very least, it'll boost morale."

Davri nodded absentmindedly, still searching across the camp; she'd assumed the team from Rishi would be joining them, but hadn't yet seen any of them. "Is anyone else coming?" she asked, before quickly clarifying, "From Rishi, I mean. Master Cori Ven, or any of the Imperials?"

"I expected Master Cori to be here already," Satele mused. "Darth Marr assures me that both Agent Ven and Darth Nox will be joining us. The Emperor's Wrath is here already — she was part of the original strike team on Manaan, I believe."

"Yeah, I'm familiar with her." Davri crossed her arms, biting back a string of curses. Why _anyone_ thought it was a good idea to involve the Wrath was beyond her; she rivaled Forex for _most blindly patriotic_ , and she didn't even have programming to blame. "If you don't mind, we'll just head out."

Satele motioned for Davri to wait. "Have you been filled in on the situation?"

"Revanites?" she guessed.

"There's… more than that."

* * *

"I hope you weren't planning to start without me." Zaara sauntered up to the conference table with a grin, endlessly amused by the odd gathering.

Marr seemed to be simply observing as Lana, Davri, and Theron ran through the situation with the Revanites. Their discussion came to an abrupt halt as Zaara approached, but she waved away their attention.

"Please, do continue."

"Agent Ven." Whether Marr meant it as a greeting or a warning was unclear.

"I'm sure you can carry on without us. I'll fill Zaara in," Lana offered, motioning for Zaara to follow. They walked deeper through the camp, towards the clearing where Zaara's ship was. It wasn't until they were well out of earshot that Lana spoke again. "Things are… tense. As I'm sure you can imagine."

"That bad?"

Lana let out a short, breathy laugh that Zaara had come to realize meant she was worried. "Not as bad as I'd expected, really. It doesn't help that we've been unable to even _locate_ the Revanites yet. We've got an outpost in the wilds, but between the wildlife and the jungle it's difficult to push any further."

Lips pursed in thought, Zaara slowed her steps until she quit walking entirely. "Do we have ground sensors we could set up? Probe droids, maybe? If we can get a better idea of…" She trailed off as Lana shook her head.

"Theron's suggested sensors—multiple times, now. But there isn't enough trust between troops to establish a common perimeter, and negotiations will move incredibly slowly until Nox and Master Neiri arrive."

"I know Nox had to stop by Kaas City," Zaara mused, "but what about the Jedi?"

"Satele mentioned that a sizable portion of the Republic fleet over Rishi belonged to Master Neiri," Lana reminded her. "Evidently, it's less that it's T'sereen's fleet to command, and more allies that have pledged themselves to her. She's off negotiating with their leaders to ensure they'll continue supporting the Republic."

"Well," she sighed, "it's a start, at least. What information _do_ we have?"

Lana led the way back towards the conference table. "Not much, but I can get you some of the reports from our scouts. Perhaps," she added thoughtfully, "you might have more success out in the wilds than they did."

"I was just thinking the same thing." Zaara followed Lana back to the table, where she handed her a datapad. Settling into a chair near the main terminal, she skimmed through the reports; as Lana had said, there was little relevant information — much of it on the wildlife or impassable terrain — and most of it was repeated several times.

She was finishing a third detailing of a creek near the outpost when a holocomm chimed; Zaara paid no attention until she heard Ashara address Theron.

"Nox says we're in Kaas City," the apprentice listed, counting off on her fingers, "no one knows where Darth Evris is but she left the city recently, and tell Zaara to answer her comm sometimes."

Zaara shook her head; for some reason she hadn't yet figured out, Rei had a habit of never calling Zaara's personal holocomm. "Remind Nox I'm not always on the ship," she retorted, loud enough so Ashara would be able to hear.

"Yeah, that's probably what it was. What about the Wrath?"

"Evris is here already," Theron informed her. "And — Ashara? Let Nox know I've got her book. Or, _your_ book, I guess. She stopped by on Rishi to grab it and, uh, forgot."

Ashara deflated, massaging at one of her temples. " _Of course_ she did." As her image blinked out, Zaara's brow creased in curiosity, though she said nothing.

"I'm guessing it'll be a few days before Nox gets here," she sighed, tossing the datapad onto the conference table. "Vector and I will head out into the wilds, see if we can find anything new. I'll send Raina down here to help. Lana? Are you busy or would you mind tagging along?" She wanted to be prepared if they did happen to run into any Revanites, and it couldn't hurt to have an extra blaster — figuratively speaking, she supposed — if the wildlife was as bad as the reports suggested.

Lana glanced up, hesitating. "I suppose I could accompany you. I haven't been out of the camp much, myself."

Zaara motioned for her to follow as she made her way back to her ship. "Isn't there a saying about bringing a Sith to a blaster fight?" she mused with a grin. Once they were well enough away from the main camp, she admitted, "I was curious about you and my sister — especially since I didn't get the chance to speak with either of you after Rishi. I know that Cori's…"

"Overwhelmingly disappointed?" Lana finished for her. "Any trust she held is gone."

"Not necessarily." She shrugged, tucking her hands into her jacket pockets. "Don't tell her I told you," Zaara offered, lowering her voice conspiratorially, "but I think her problem isn't with _you_ , but with herself. You know how Jedi get about these things."

"Yes, I'm aware. Cori and I have discussed the issue."

Zaara rolled her eyes at Lana's curt tone; clearly it wasn't a topic she wanted to get into details about. "I'm not trying to pry, or anything." As they approached the ship, Zaara turned to face Lana. "She's my sister, and I want her to be happy."

Lana arched an eyebrow. "Your concern is appreciated, but unnecessary. If there's an issue, Cori and I will deal with it." Her voice softened as she added, "But, thank you."

She gave a simple shrug in return. As much as she wished Cori _hadn't_ picked a Sith — Kira was nice, for example, or that sergeant who had been serving with her for the past two or so years — Zaara couldn't deny that Lana wasn't _bad_ , as far as Sith went. And as important as tracking down the false Revan and saving the galaxy was, she would always take care of her sister first.

* * *

"You promised me _details_. Now I'm actually a little disappointed." Ashara, sprawled on one of the lounge chairs on the far end of Rei's office, looked up from the holovid she was watching to stare pointedly at Rei.

"I've told you all you're going to get." With a flick of her wrist, Rei tossed one of the decorative pillows from the second lounge chair towards Ashara.

She caught the pillow effortlessly, holding it as she mused, "So is this just a fling, or will it be an elaborate, cross-faction romance even after the truce is over?"

"You've been watching too many Imperial holodramas."

"But which is it?"

Rei sighed, and was saved from answering by Zash's arrival. "I have a message from Darth Praetis," she announced without greeting, "and a nautolan was looking for you before you got here — something about dinner reservations with Acina?"

"She's an old friend," Rei informed her. "Next time, just have her wait. What about Praetis?"

"She can't make it," Zash scoffed, " _naturally_. She's sending her apprentice."

" _Naturally_?"

"Praetis' power is more about connections and social standing than it is aptitude with the Force. She's been sending apprentices to do her dirty work since _I_ was an apprentice," Zash explained, the disdain clear in her voice if not in her expression. "You'd think a family of pureblooded Sith known for their force insensitivity would be short on friends, but evidently not."

"The military and the Diplomatic Service, right?" Rei asked, only half-interested in the answer. All she really knew about Praetis was that she was well-connected, she thought she deserved a seat on the Council, and she was the Empire's foremost scholar on Revan.

So when Praetis had requested to meet with Rei, she hadn't hesitated to agree.

Zash nodded. "Her sister's with Intelligence, I believe. Should I send her apprentice in when she arrives?"

She gave a noncommital grunt. "Anything I should know beforehand?"

The Deshade's features twisted into what Rei assumed was a grimace. "Vrynn Malius. Praetis' niece — adopted, I believe. Her training at the Academy was interrupted by the Republic's attack several months ago, and Praetis has continued her training rather informally."

" _Informally_?"

"Yes, Darth Praetis isn't officially the girl's master. I think—" Zash paused, her voice taking on a curious tone as she continued. "Perhaps you could take her on as an apprentice. It would give you leverage against Praetis, if nothing else."

At that, Ashara spoke up again, tossing the decorative pillow she still held at the other lounge chair. "Why? She already has two apprentices that she hardly actually _trains_."

Rei bristled at the suggestion — despite the truth to Ashara's words, she didn't _like_ being reminded of her failure as a mentor — but kept her attention on Zash. "I'll certainly consider it. For now, I just need to figure out what Praetis actually _wants_. For now, you can just worry about sending her in when she arrives, and, Ashara — go find Talos. I'm sure he'll need the help."

She didn't really _want_ another apprentice, but there were Sith with dozens of them; Rei had, as Ashara pointed out, a grand total of _two_.

Ashara gave a brief protest, but left, followed by Zash. Rei rested her head in her arms, squeezing her eyes shut; she'd only been back on Dromund Kaas for a few hours, but she was _overwhelmed_. It wasn't just catching up after being gone for a month and a half, or the added pressure from the Revanites, or Vowrawn's recent disappearance — which Rei was _still_ reeling from — but everything that Rei had voluntarily taken on.

The project with Acina was drawing to a close, and all that Rei had left to do was to meet with Zhorrid to discuss any agents that could acquire information on the Republic's own projects involving the Revanite cyborgs from Lehon. The facility on Manaan was a total loss; Zash had been monitoring the situation closely, and discovered that the Barsen'thor herself had gone to smooth things over on behalf of the Republic. Her presence alone had seemed to give the Republic an insurmountable advantage, and Rei had decided only that morning to recall her teams from Manaan and send them instead to Yavin 4.

It felt like a loss — the Republic had a squad of soldiers out _somewhere_ in the galaxy, enhanced with technology the Empire was only just beginning to understand.

If Zhorrid came through, Rei supposed she could simply hunt them down herself after Revan was taken care of. She could use the challenge, after all.

For now, the situation was challenge enough.

And if that alone wasn't enough, Rei still had Praetis to worry about. Along with, of course, Theron.

Not that they _had_ much of a situation to worry about, but Ashara did make a good point — they would either have to end things soon, or risk almost everything for — what? A few messages and holocalls? Rei liked spending time with him, liked _him_ , but not enough to stake her reputation and position on.

No, Yavin would have to suffice.

Before Rei could overrule her own decision, there was a quiet knock at the door that Rei assumed signaled the arrival of Praetis' apprentice. She was a thin, willowy mirialan, with short blonde hair and a cross of dark tattoos on her face. She gave a low bow as she entered the office, re-straightening her loose robes as she stood. "Vrynn Malius, my lord," she introduced herself, giving another meek dip of her head. "Darth Praetis sent me."

Rei cleared her throat and beckoned Vrynn to take a seat. "Good. And what, exactly does your master want? I've been told she's been asking incessantly for me for the past week or so."

"It's about the most recent reports, my lord." She sat on the very edge of her chair with her hands folded neatly in her lap. "About Revan."

Rei could've guessed as much. "I'm sorry to disappoint, but there is no Revan. It's nothing more than an elaborate scheme I'm busy trying to put an end to." While Praetis' expertise could be useful, it wasn't worth it if she simply wanted to use the situation to gain some sort of social leverage. Rei didn't have time for this sort of gossip and, at least, with an apprentice she could afford to snap at them without fear of retaliation.

If Praetis was genuinely interested in helping, however, Rei could be persuaded to listen.

"That's why she needs to speak with you," Vrynn insisted, some of her earlier hesitance disappearing. "My master has devoted years to studying Revan, and believes she's returned. She can _sense_ her."

Rei cocked an eyebrow, wondering how long she should bother listening before asking the apprentice to leave. "Is that so." When Vrynn simply nodded, Rei pressed, "And I assume she wants something, in exchange for information about Revan?"

Vrynn hesitated again, her eyes widening. "She has a proposal, yes. Revan, the Star Forges, Rakatan technology — my master has studied them all. She knows about your research with Darth Acina, and wishes to offer her expertise."

"And her price?"

"Simply to study Revan."

"She wants to join us on Yavin 4," Rei translated.

Vrynn shook her head, admitting, "Darth Praetis isn't currently in Imperial space. She likely wouldn't make it back in time, and would have to interrupt an important expedition if she left. She's—"

"Sending you?" Rei guessed, cutting the apprentice off before she could finish; Vrynn nodded. Rei rubbed at her eyes, weighing her options and doing her best to suppress a groan. On the one hand, an expert — assuming Praetis was as good as everyone seemed to believe — could turn Rei and Acina's cyborg project into a huge success but on the other hand, a young apprentice trampling underfoot was the last thing they needed on Yavin, considering they already had an unsteady truce and the Revanites to worry about.

And that wasn't even taking into consideration the possible social ramifications, if Zash's warnings about Praetis were to be believed.

She decided to ask Praetis to wait until the Revanites were taken care of. That would save Rei from having to watch an additional apprentice, and would allow her to scout out the truly important areas and keep Praetis away from them while Reclamation Service teams could work. Not the _best_ plan, and she'd wait to discuss it with Acina before making a final decision, but it could possibly end very, very well.

One insurmountable challenge down, numerous more to go.


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N:** in which rei is sith, revan makes her debut, and kira enjoys it all a bit too much_

 _this is going to be the last chapter for a while, at least for a week or two bc I'm moving this weekend so I'm super short on time atm. the good news is I have ch 14 marked as edited so once I get internet at my new place I should be able to go ahead and post it._

* * *

Rei was off the ship before Andronikos had even stepped out of the cockpit. Her meeting with Praetis — rather, the meeting with her apprentice and the subsequent rushed holocall from Praetis herself — had left her uneasy, and arriving on Yavin 4 had only made things worse.

Darkness suffocated the moon but, as Praetis had predicted, there was something _else_. There were the Jedi, obviously — Satele's presence was unmistakable — but there was something new within the Force that lingered just at the edge of her consciousness.

At this point, she'd be more surprised if it _wasn't_ Revan, despite how vehemently she'd earlier denied the possibility.

That could make things _much_ more complicated. She was going to have to investigate.

Marching through the tall grass of the clearing, Rei followed the worn path that led away from the ships and towards the main camp. She headed straight for the conference table in the first clearing, where Zaara and Theron were pouring over what seemed to be a map of the surrounding areas.

"So the _terrain_ is to be our first enemy, then?"

Theron glanced up, but Zaara simply crossed her arms and continued to frown at the holodisplay. "You're late, Nox." She pointed to a spot near the top of the map. "Here. And one directly east, by the creek."

"Remember that meeting I told you about?" Rei asked, standing between the two agents and inspecting the map for herself. Either she was looking at it wrong, or the terrain didn't exactly seem _traversable_. "Turns out it was a bit more… urgent than I realized."

Eyes leaving the display only briefly, Zaara reached to the far side of the table and grabbed a datapad, handing it to Rei. "How urgent, exactly? I did some research on your new best friend and she's…"

"A few ships short of a fleet?"

She almost grinned. "I was _going_ to say she seems to be involved in a lot without doing anything herself."

"That's also true." Placing a hand on her hip, Rei sighed. "She claimed she could sense Revan."

"Revan?" Theron echoed. "As in, the _real_ Revan, or the one we're stuck with?"

"The real, genuine, just-a-presence-in-the-Force _Revan_." Rei pursed her lips as she stared back up at the map display, trying to discern exactly where the camp was supposed to be. "I can… feel her, I think. There's _something_ here, anyway." Still unable to understand the map, she glanced down at the datapad Zaara had handed her. From the look of it, there were dozens of reports she wasn't entirely interested in reading.

Setting his own datapad down, Theron turned from the map display to lean back against the conference table. "Satele and Cori said the same thing. Marr hasn't agreed, but he hasn't _disagreed_ , either."

"He and Evris both feel it." Without further explanation, Zaara took the datapad back from Rei, scrolling through it before handing it back. When Rei didn't take it, she tossed it onto the table. "It's just not a concern, at the moment."

"Well, _I'm_ concerned about it," Rei shot back. She was more curious than anything, especially now that she was on the moon and could actually sense the presence that Praetis had warned her about. "Someone is going to have to track her down. Give me and Andronikos the rest of the afternoon, and we'll have Revan herself here in the camp."

"That may not be a good thing," Zaara pointed out. "Besides, we need to get these sensors out first. We should call another meeting, since you're here finally, then Cori and I can head out to take care of the sensors."

"Fine," Rei conceded, "call a meeting, do your sensors, _then_ Andronikos and I can go find Revan."

"Once we get the sensors set, we won't have time for distractions like that."

She frowned; it would be easier to argue if Zaara would just outright admit that, for whatever reason, she didn't want Rei trying to find Revan. "Then I suppose I'll just have to tell Darth Marr, and we'll do that Sith thing where we don't tell anyone what we're planning, and just go off and take care of it ourselves. But, of course, let's have that meeting of yours first."

Zaara closed her eyes for a moment, lips pressed into a thin line of frustration; she didn't look up until Theron spoke. "Why don't you go prep the sensors? I need to talk with Nox, anyway."

She looked ready to argue, but said nothing as she marched towards the rest of the camp. Rei watched as Zaara left, raising an eyebrow in curiosity as she turned to face Theron. "Talk away." Any nerves she had at the impending conversation were dampened by a combination of curiosity and aggravation. Rather than deal with this mess — which could easily get rather complicated — she wanted to go looking for Revan.

"Look," Theron sighed, "cut Zaara some slack. Things have been… _tense_ doesn't even begin to cover it. And I'm not sure she's even slept since landing."

"Don't let her fool you. She's loving every minute of this." Rei crossed her arms. "You didn't send Zaara off just so we could talk about her."

"No, you're right. I wanted to talk about Rishi," Theron admitted. "Just — make sure we're still on the same page."

She didn't quite manage to hold back a grin. "As I recall, there was a fair amount of kissing and no shortage of denying that this all comes crashing down once we find Revan."

"Right." He frowned, stopping himself from saying a half dozen things before settling with, "And until then?"

"Until then," Rei repeated, drawing the words out slowly. She supposed things couldn't just continue on from Rishi, not with the newly-added urgency of the mission or the considerably larger amount of Republic and Imperial forces. Of course, that didn't matter for _her —_ no one was going to deny a Sith — but Theron, she was fairly certain, was trying to get back into the good graces of the Republic. "An elaborate, cross-faction romance," she mumbled absentmindedly, her mind flashing back to her discussion on Dromund Kaas with Ashara.

Theron cocked an eyebrow upwards, expression somewhere between amused and concerned. "What?"

She shook her head. "Something my apprentice said. Nevermind." Rei sighed as she turned her full attention back to Theron. "Out of the two of us, it's _you_ who has the reputation to worry about."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm a member of the Dark Council. The only Imperial here with the authority to challenge anything I do is Marr — and I never listen to him outside of council business, anyway. _You_ , however, don't have the same luxury, and I'd hate to get you kicked out of the Republic a second time."

"It's not like I was planning to announce this to the entire camp."

"Fair enough."

"So," Theron began, giving a casual shrug, "we just have to track down both Revans, stop the Emperor, and hope the SIS gives me my job back."

Rei pressed up onto her toes to steal a light kiss. "The last part's up to you. But yes, that's the general idea." Before she could turn to leave, Theron pulled her in close for another kiss.

There was a loud _clack_ of a datapad clattering onto the table; they pulled away from each other, startled, only to be greeted by Kira's snickering. "Carry on," she grinned. "I'm just here to let you know that Zaara, Marr, and Satele are on their way over."

Smoothing down her shirt, Rei cleared her throat. "Good. Thank you. I'm — I should go alert my crew. You should…" She glanced from Kira to Theron, mentally cursing herself for ending up so flustered at the interruption. "Nevermind. I'll be back in a moment." She spun on her heel and left, headed straight for her ship.

She would have to update Ashara.

* * *

If the camp had seemed tense, it was nothing compared to the current state of the conference table.

Lana, Marr, and Rei stood at one end, with Satele, Cori, and T'sereen at the other. Zaara stood beside Theron off to one side, pacing occasionally when the negotiations heated up.

Which, had been almost constantly.

Things had been easier when they'd first met on Manaan and Davri and Evris were threatening each other. As it was, they couldn't get a dozen words out before someone derailed the conversation again. Most of the distractions, really, came from Rei and T'sereen's comments towards each other.

Rei's accusations towards Satele weren't exactly helping, either.

Theron had to wonder how _anything_ got done in the Empire.

The negotiations did eventually prove successful, after Zaara finally emphasized the proposed sensor locations that she and Theron had already decided on the day before; she'd added in some nonsense about percentages and efficiency and priority zones that Theron was fairly certain she'd just made up, but either way, the locations seemed to be acceptable.

Marr stared at the display and the highlighted locations for several moments before nodding in agreement. "We shouldn't continue wasting time. You'll see to this yourself, Agent?"

"Agreed. Master Neiri can accompany you," Satele suggested.

T'sereen's lekku twitched in a subtle display of annoyance. "Of course, Master Satele."

"Hang on. There's something slightly more important to discuss first," Rei pointed out. "Revan. The _real_ Revan, not—" She waved a hand dismissively.

"Not a priority," Zaara insisted, already walking away from the table and T'sereen following her.

Placing her hands on her hips, Rei watched through narrowed eyes as they left. "Priority," she corrected. " _My_ priority. If there's _one_ thing we've learned from this little trip, it's that nobody really knows anything about Revan, and everything we _do_ know differs between Imperial and Republic histories. We're here — why not finally set the record straight?"

There was a moment of mutual hesitation, as if everyone gathered was searching for a reason to object. Theron — despite having been tired of hearing about _Revan_ since first learning of the Revanites — could only think of one potential issue. "Can we even spare people to look into it?"

"Me."

A frustratingly _Rei_ response.

"Your presence will be required here, Nox," Marr spoke up. "The possibility _is_ one we should consider. However, Agent Ven is correct in that stopping the false Revan remains our top priority."

With little left to discuss until the perimeter sensors were all online, the meeting eventually dissolved; Lana slipped back into the main camp, Marr and Rei discussed how to approach the issue of the real Revan, and Kira joined Cori and Satele in quiet conversation. Theron checked in with Zaara and T'sereen over comm, waiting somewhat impatiently for them to begin setting up the sensors.

The trip down to the forward outposts had grown considerably easier than it had been when they'd first established the camps, but it still wasn't exactly an _easy_ trip; as Theron waited for the team to arrive, he found himself pacing and rechecking the coordinates and, every so often, stealing glances over at Rei.

On Rishi, it had been easier to… not _forget_ , but overlook, that she was Sith.

Here, that was impossible. Maybe it was just the general atmosphere of the moon, or that everyone was so insistent that the dark side was so prominent. Maybe it was the fact that they were now surrounded by both Sith and Jedi.

Whatever the reasons, things were different. Where Rei stood at the conference table beside Marr, arms crossed as they conversed, it was simple to see her as part of the Dark Council. She'd been more commanding since arriving, more sincere and more insistent.

More like he expected a Sith to be, Theron supposed.

Rei glanced over, catching him staring; there was little indication she'd seen, save for the brief break in her glowering as she turned back to Marr. Of course, it was then that Theron became very aware of Satele watching him.

 _That_ was an explanation he wasn't looking forward to.

Luckily, Zaara spoke over the comm line before Theron was forced to dodge any questions. " _We made it to the lower wilds. Headed to the first set of coordinates. We checked in with Evris and Sohms and they gave us what they know about the area so far._ "

"Good. Anything useful?"

" _No_." It was T'sereen who answered. " _Not yet. They had an area chosen for an outpost further in, but that may change once we get these sensors up_."

"Alright. Let me know as soon as you've got something."

* * *

"I'm beginning to think that maybe Zaara was right."

Andronikos let out a low whistle. "Admitting you were wrong? What's the occasion?"

Rolling her eyes, Rei waved her hand, motioning for him to help her up from where she sat on the temple floor. "I said _maybe_ ," she pointed out as Andronikos pulled her to her feet. "But _maybe_ I should've just had Talos come along, too."

She inspected the door a third time, searching for markings or a mechanism or _something_ to hint at how to open it. It had taken far longer than she'd expected, but Rei and Andronikos had finally made their way through the twisting jungle to the faint presence of Revan that Rei had sensed. It was even _more_ faint now than when she had arrived, but she was certain its source was within the temple they'd stumbled across.

The temple they couldn't currently get into.

"Unless…" Muttering quietly to herself, Rei surveyed the room again, debating searching the entire outside of the temple when Revan's presence was suddenly considerably stronger.

"Does shooting lightning _usually_ open doors for you?"

Lightsaber already in hand, Rei spun to confront their visitor; she found not Revan, but her ghost. "You'd be surprised."

"I guess I would. By the way—" She crossed the room to the door, kneeling down to inspect it as Rei had. As she stood she tucked her hair behind her ear, the thick curls springing loose as she shook her head. "This one doesn't open. You'll have to go around back, or there's a collapsed wall on the left side of the temple you can get through."

Rei shook her head, no longer interested in the rest of the temple. At least, not for the moment. "Revan."

She looked up, offering a humorless smile. "An outdated title. Layla, if you must."

" _Layla_ , then," she corrected. "You should know — one of your descendants is preparing to make an incredibly stupid decision that will endanger the entire galaxy."

"The kid with my mask," Layla confirmed, crossing her arms. "You should stop him."

"And that's it? You won't help?"

"And do what?" she challenged. "It's not my problem and not my concern. _I_ just wanted to retire and let the galaxy forget my name, but _no_ — you people keep dragging it back into the spotlight." Her lips pressed into a thin, humorless smile. "You become an intergalactic terror _one time_ and no one's content to leave you to a quiet life with your family."

Rei frowned. "You _have_ family, you know. Here," she clarified.

Layla's eyes widened, and it was several moments before she spoke. "Family," she repeated. "Besides…?"

"Yes, besides the… other Revan."

She gave a shaky laugh, looking entirely overwhelmed. "That's… Thank you, for telling me." Without an explanation, Layla's form disappeared; Rei wondered if they'd find her back at the camp when they returned.

"One day we'll go somewhere, and none of this weird shit will happen."

Rei turned back to where Andronikos was waiting at the entrance of the temple, grinning. "That would be boring and unsatisfying, and you would hate it."

"I don't know, some days I'd take that over the stuff we get into," he shrugged, falling into step beside Rei as they began the long trek back to where they'd left their speeder. "Although," Andronikos added, in a tone that said he was about to pry, "speaking of boring and unsatisfying."

"What?"

"Your agent. Are you going to tell me, or do I have to get the story from Ashara?"

" _My agent_ ," Rei echoed, rolling her eyes but unable to hold back a small smile. "When there _is_ a story, I'll tell you. Until then, ask Ashara — if only because I'm interested in what she'll say."


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N:** in which rei is a smartass, cori isn't as sneaky as she thinks, and zaara is sad about her friends_

 _tbh I lowkey love this part in-game and how it differs depending on faction. anyway irl things have calmed down so hopefully I can get back to posting about once a week_

* * *

"You found Revan?"

"Mm. Somewhere about…" Frowning as she pulled up the map display, Rei searched for the area she and Andronikos had been to the day before. It had been late when they'd finally returned from the temple — the thick jungle meant speeders were practically useless — but Rei had wanted to explain the situation to Marr before telling the others.

 _If_ she told the others. It could be advantageous to hold onto the information and investigate further.

She finally found the general area the temple was at, pointing to the clearing. "Around here. She wants the Revanites gone as much as we do."

Marr stared at the map in silence for several moments before zooming out on the display, keeping the temple clearing marked. It was far to the north east of the camp, in the opposite direction of the outposts they'd already established. "I believe I know what lies in the wilds beyond our forward camp," he revealed. "If my suspicions are proven correct, I would ask that you accompany the Wrath to investigate."

"Depends on what your suspicions are." Crossing her arms, Rei ran through a mental list of the Reclamation Service teams she'd called to Yavin 4; most had yet to arrive, but the teams from Dromund Kaas had been on the moon longer than Rei herself. "But, either way, I'll have the temple looked into. If I can't oversee it myself, I'll send my lieutenant."

"I'd advise sending your lieutenant. It appears we may have stumbled across the training grounds for the Imperial Guard."

Rei's eyes widened in surprise. _That_ would be far more interesting than the temple, she was certain. "At this rate, we'll have all the Emperor's secrets by the time we're done with Revan." Before she could say more, Satele made her way into the back section of the camp, followed closely by Cori. Rei switched off the map display as they approached, grateful that, at least, T'sereen wasn't anywhere in sight. "Grandmaster," she greeted, voice saccharine. "Will this be it, or is your Barsen'thor joining us?"

"No, Master Neiri is needed elsewhere today," Satele answered smoothly, the barest trace of annoyance flickering across her expression. "We can begin as soon as our agents arrive."

 _One day_ , Rei would find a way past Satele's practiced calm.

But until then, she supposed she would have to at least _try_ to cooperate. Suppressing the urge to pace, she tapped her fingers along the edge of the conference table; Rei wasn't sure what was worse — how long all the waiting and planning and negotiating was taking, or the fact that they had to manage it all with the Republic analyzing their every move.

She knew from experience that Sith were hardly the most trustworthy of allies, but it wasn't as if they would _always_ default to betrayal.

If she and Marr and Lana and Evris could all work together, surely they could handle working with a few Jedi.

Though, she supposed, it was likely the Republic forces were being treated with just as much suspicion. Rei knew there _had_ to be a way to force the two sides to cooperate — though she didn't have any idea how — because if they didn't, they'd still be arguing in the camp when Revan brought the Emperor back.

Arguing with Satele probably wasn't helping their situation, either. Not that Rei was going to _stop_ arguing with her.

Luckily, it wasn't much longer before Zaara and Theron arrived — the silence at the conference table was beginning to slip from _uncomfortable_ to outright _awkward_ — and they could begin. Theron had a stack of datapads and Zaara held a cup of caf in each hand, both agents looking a bit overwhelmed; judging by the circles beneath Zaara's eyes, Rei half wondered if both cups were for her.

But she handed one off to Theron, keeping the second for herself and pinching at the bridge of her nose before sighing and beginning. "We nearly lost the second outpost last night after pulling Evris back. One of the sensors was dug up by the wildlife and we just got the new sensor online. Looking at what we're picking up, it's…" Grimacing as she trailed off, Zaara shook her head. "Things certainly won't be getting easier."

"Plenty of solid structures," Theron clarified. "Ruins, mostly, and what looks like a couple of temples. And there's the massassi — we knew they'd be an issue, but it's a lot worse than we expected."

"Massassi?" Cori echoed.

"Native species," Rei scoffed, giving a little wave of her hand as if it were an obvious fact. "They share their ancestry with modern pureblooded Sith. Aggressive species, fascinating language." In truth, she hadn't heard of the massassi either until the night before, when Talos had confirmed the origins of a writing sample Rei had collected from Revan's temple. Evidently, her fifteen minutes of light research was paying off.

Hands clasped behind his back, Marr nodded slowly. "Nox is correct — the massassi are incredibly aggressive. This will make further investigations into the wilds difficult."

He continued on, discussing something about structures and signal ranges, but Rei was only half-listening; only marginally concerned about interrupting, she skirted around the table to stand beside Theron. "Temples?" she questioned, voice nearly a whisper. She held out a hand and wiggled her fingers expectantly, grabbing the datapad as soon as he offered it to her.

Rei scanned the information, most of it making little sense but some of it — the important parts — perfectly clear. Of the large structures that the sensors had picked up, only one mattered, and Rei suspected Marr had come to the same conclusions as she was.

He'd already guessed that the Guard's training facilities were somewhere in the jungle below, but the scans and the architecture practically confirmed it. Someone would have to go in person, of course, just to check, and Rei would be more than happy to volunteer.

Some Sith were more than content to honor the Emperor's secrets, but she was not one of them.

Her premature celebration was abruptly interrupted as Theron reached around her to hand a datapad off to Zaara. "What is this? It's encoded." The question was directed at Marr.

"I could have SCORPIO take—"

"No," Marr interrupted. "That privilege belongs to the Imperial Guard alone. It seems we've discovered one of their training facilities."

 _Evidently_ , illusive knowledge of Imperial broadcast signals were just as useful as Rei's not-inconsiderable knowledge on historical trends in Sith architecture.

Rei gave a short sigh and tossed the datapad she was holding onto the table. While she was glad for the chance to get out and _do_ something, she was also conflicted on Marr's response; if it were up to her, they'd be taking the chance to learn whatever they could about the elusive Guard. She didn't suppose Marr would agree. "Good. I'll alert the Wrath and we'll head out. Zaara can monitor our progress."

Marr nodded stiffly. "Agreed." Turning to Satele, he added, "Given the nature of the task and the high probability of sensitive information within the facility, Nox and I have prepared an Imperial team to investigate. Any information related to the task at hand will, of course, be shared."

"Right," Theron challenged, "unless it's _sensitive_?"

"It's unlikely we'll find anything useful as far as hard data goes," Zaara spoke up, placing a hand on her hip. "It'll be more reliable to bring someone back for questioning. _Alive_ , please, Nox," she added, turning to Rei, "and without any lost limbs this time."

"Thanks for clarifying." She rolled her eyes; _that_ particular incident had happened nearly a year before and really _wasn't_ worth holding a grudge over anymore. "If that's everything, I should get going. We'll send anything relevant to Zaara and find someone to question."

"Absolutely not," Satele argued coldly. "If there is _any_ questioning to be done, it will not be at Imperial hands."

Marr didn't seem fazed. "We can discuss specifics when Nox returns."

"No, she's right," Rei mused, fighting to hold back a grin, "since the Jedi are so well known for their incredibly successful interrogations, and Sith are notorious for failing to adequately reprimand members of their own order. Or — wait, I may have gotten that backwards."

Zaara rolled her eyes. "Just — leave before I adequately reprimand _you_."

* * *

"Hey, slow down, alright? We've got time." Kira surveyed the area in front of them before adding, "We've got time, right, Theron?"

" _Yeah, probably. Nox left just a few minutes ago. Not sure about Darth Evris._ "

Turning back to where Kira, Major Sohms, and Jorgan were trailing behind her, Cori forced herself to slow her pace. She didn't like the mission. The fact that they were fighting their way into a training facility for the Imperial Guard was bad enough — the fact that they were doing it despite telling the Empire they _wouldn't_ was even worse.

The overwhelming Revanite presence wasn't helping, either.

"I thought you said Nox was leaving a while ago?" Davri questioned, coming to a stop beside Kira.

The comm line was silent for a moment. " _I thought she was. We talked for a bit earlier and I guess she still had some stuff to take care of afterwards._ "

Cori was about to suggest they keep moving — just because they had time didn't mean they should waste it — when Kira snickered. "You talked? Was it a particularly _exciting_ conversation?"

" _Incredibly_ ," Theron responded flatly. " _I learned all about the superiority of Imperial caf._ "

"First off," Davri began, making a face, "I don't even _want_ to know what that's about. Second, Nox is right about caf. The Empire does it better. Third, I think we're finally in sight of the entrance." She pointed past Cori to one of the temple corners, where the temple entrance was now clearly visible. "If we wait till this patrol passes, we should be able to get in unseen. Or, more unseen than— You know what I mean."

The group managed to make it into the temple without drawing any more Revanite attention. As they moved through the twisting hallway at the entrance, Cori held a hand out to stop them. "There's someone up ahead," she warned, lightsaber already in hand.

"Multiple someones," Kira added.

They descended deeper into the temple, finding bodies of both Revanites and Imperial Guards in nearly every hallway and room. The bright uniform of the Guard sent shivers along Cori's spine; she'd hoped that the first time she'd seen those uniforms a year and a half ago on Dromund Kaas would also be the last time.

After several minutes of walking, they finally emerged into a large central atrium, where they found a handful of the Imperial Guard — the ones she and Kira had sensed earlier, Cori assumed. One of them addressed the others, ranting about Revan and the Emperor and sacrifice. His words turned to accusations and threats as he turned to face their group.

Cori held out a hand, hoping to calm him. "We're not here for… any of that," she assured him. "We just have questions. We need to know what happened here."

" _Sacrifice_ ," he insisted. "Die by their hand, die by yours — it doesn't matter. We all belong to _him_ , in the end." With that final threat, he leapt.

Already anticipating his moves, Cori easily blocked his first strike. Blaster fire rang out from behind her and she caught the yellow burn of Kira's lightsaber from the corner of her vision. Between the four of them, they had little trouble holding off the remnants of the guard; there was only one guard and the commandant Cori was still engaged with when she became aware of a new presence behind them. A red lightsaber hissed through the air, slicing neatly into the remaining guard. The commandant flew backwards, crashing into the wall of the temple.

Cori looked back to find both Evris and Nox at the entrance, accompanied by Ashara and Quinn. The dread she'd felt that morning returned; if it had just been Lys that had discovered them, it would've been fine. They were friends. She could talk to her, Lys would understand. But Nox — Cori still didn't completely trust Nox. She'd been nothing but trustworthy and reliable since arriving on Rishi, but as she'd said herself — their goals had aligned. With this, with their interests at odds with each other, Cori couldn't be certain she could still rely on Nox.

"Should I find it admirable that the Republic tried to cross us," the rattataki mused, her voice like ice, "or find it _cute_ you thought you'd actually succeed?"

Lys held out a hand to stop Nox, her saber snapping shut as she crossed the room. "I trust you have an explanation, Master Cori?"

"Of course, Darth Evris." The title felt strange on her lips; Cori wasn't used to such formality with Lys. Then again, she'd never stood between the Wrath and her goal. "Imperial interests or not, this is an _alliance_. This isn't a task you should've had to undertake alone. Our intent wasn't to deceive, but to help." Cori was pleading now, in expression if not in words; everyone gathered knew the answer was far simpler, but _We didn't trust the Sith_ wasn't an explanation that would help.

She frowned. "Intention or not, we _were_ deceived. It—" She was cut off by the continued ranting of the commandant.

Lys merely scowled in his direction, but Nox gave a frustrated groan. "Tell me, Captain, that you have a sedative or something to shut him up? My solution would be a bit more permanent, and I'm afraid Zaara was quite insistent that we bring him in alive."

Quinn offered a sharp nod and quick _of course, my lord_ before attending to the commandant. With the guard silenced, Nox turned back to the Republic team. "We had to wonder, considering how thinned out the Revanite forces were. I assumed the Imperial Guard had actually made a stand, but I see that wasn't the case. If I were you, I would leave," she suggested, "and perhaps try to explain this to Marr before I get back and suggest we force the Republic out of Imperial space."

Cori motioned for the others to follow, glad that both Davri and Kira remained quiet. They were nearly to the entrance when Theron spoke over their comm line. " _I'm guessing that didn't end well_?"

"Could've gone worse," Kira admitted quietly. "Never thought I'd say this, but — I'm thinking Marr's our best chance at keeping this alliance intact."

* * *

There were, Zaara supposed, worse ways to end a mission.

All things considered, the only real loss from the Republic intervention was Imperial trust which, honestly, hadn't exactly been abundant to begin with. Besides, she couldn't exactly claim she wouldn't have done the same thing, if the situations were reversed. As it was, she'd already spent more than a few hours trying to tap into Republic communications — with varying success.

Although, _she_ hadn't been caught.

Not that any of that mattered. Once both teams finally returned, the nominal amount of cooperation they'd achieved would vanish, and they'd be lucky if they got _anything_ done. What was it that Rei had said? About _that Sith thing where we don't tell anyone what we're planning and just take care of it ourselves_?

Zaara could work with that.

Leaving Lana in charge — she'd spent all morning coordinating supply runs for their outpost camps, but could handle their team for a few moments — Zaara left the Imperial side of the camp, fending off the few questions she received. If she simply sat and waited for the teams to return, they'd spend the rest of the evening listening to Marr's accusations and Satele's self-righteous defense. Zaara already knew she'd disagree with whatever excuse the Republic had, and blindly agreeing with Marr and the rest of the Sith was an unnerving thought.

Soldiers and Jedi alike moved for Zaara as she stormed across the camp, no one stopping her to question as she headed straight towards the Republic camp. Having a reputation could be better than anonymity on occasion, she supposed.

"So, whose idea was it?" she asked, certain she didn't need to clarify as she approached Theron. "Yours? Satele's? Or Davri's? This does seem like something the Major would be in favor of."

"Tell me, at least, that you see the irony in this?" He didn't bother looking up at her. "The Imperial spy giving a lecture on trust and not going behind your allies' backs?"

"I'm not—" Zaara cut off with a short sigh; she wasn't doing a very good job of smoothing things over. "I'm sorry," she offered, hoping it sounded sincere despite how terse the words were. "I suppose I've gotten comfortable working with you. Add that to the fact that Cori is my sister, and it makes things rather stressful when we end up on opposing sides."

There was a painful amount of truth to her words — the more they worked together, the harder Zaara's job would become in the future. For a moment, it was easy to miss being nameless, identified only through her rank and with hardly any relationships to speak of, and certainly none that could be compromising.

She'd found a friend in Theron, and she hated that it was such a melancholy sort of statement.

"Nox sent your team back first. She wants to stay and clean up and look around and… I don't really want to know, honestly," Zaara explained. "If you can keep your team busy, I can explain things to Marr and Lana, and hopefully by the time everyone's back things will have calmed down."

Theron turned to look at her, running a hand through his hair. "And if things _don't_ calm down?"

A dozen responses flitted through Zaara's mind, from _Then we're all dead_ to _Then it's your problem_. She held back, not wanting to let her frustration get the better of her a second time, and offered simply, "They have to. We don't have a choice."


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N:** __in which everyone joins in on the interrogation, davri hates belsavis, and rei contemplates murder. also woo! halfway there!_

 _so obviously the commandant's interrogation happens in the chapter, but it's not directly shown. just the war table scene beforehand and rei being a bit too chipper afterwards_

* * *

"Captain."

Zaara frowned, watching with no small amount of concern as Rei motioned to Quinn, who led the Commandant towards the conference table. Lys stood nearby, almost managing to hide how unsettled she was. Lana and Marr waited expectantly, both eerily calm considering the news Zaara had delivered to them not long before that.

The Republic team, by contrast, seemed appropriately on edge — Theron paced, Cori fretted, T'sereen glowered. Even Satele seemed… worried? Zaara couldn't quite tell.

"The first manner of business," Marr began, clearly addressing the assembled group though his attention was focused towards the Commandant, "is why _your_ Jedi were in the temple."

Cori and Theron both began to speak, but it was T'sereen who offered an explanation. "Are we supposed to expect that _you_ wouldn't have done the same if the situation was reversed? If this is truly an _alliance_ ," the twi'lek challenged, "then you shouldn't bar us from assisting you."

Marr was silent, but Zaara had the very distinct feeling that he was either amused or glaring. Or both. "You don't trust us."

Definitely both.

T'sereen crossed her arms. "Of course we don't." At that, Satele raised a cautious hand to keep T'sereen from saying anything further.

"From now on," Rei spoke up, her words resembling crisp orders that Zaara wasn't used to hearing from her, " _I_ will oversee any further investigations while on Yavin. Regardless of the team we send, they'll be accompanied by a Reclamation Service officer." Eyes flicking towards Satele, Rei clarified, "I don't care if your star Jedi just wants to take a relaxing stroll beyond the perimeter — I _will_ know about it."

"Okay, that's just a _little_ over—"

"We will discuss it," Marr interrupted, cutting off Theron's protest mid-sentence. "Nox is right. She has already found much to study here, and the last thing we need are soldiers — Republic or Imperial — interfering with her work." Beside him, Rei clasped her hands behind her back and shot a smug grin in the Jedi's direction.

"On to the next matter," Zaara sighed, leaning forward to rest her hands on the conference table. "Our second forward outpost has subdued several members of the Imperial Guard, but Nox and Evris brought us Commandant Ivan himself for questioning."

"We have reason to believe he can answer many of our questions about the bulk of Revan's forces." Marr easily picked up where Zaara ended. "I will interrogate him personally, and Darth Nox has agreed to assist. We can have the information we seek by morning."

"Absolutely _not_ ," Satele insisted. Cori said nothing, but her features hardened at the mention of interrogation.

T'sereen, however, seemed unaffected. "They won't be keeping any secrets. I'll oversee the interrogation."

Zaara was half convinced that the Barsen'thor was about to just suggest she interrogate the man herself, but Satele cut her off with another sharp wave of her hand. "Master _Neiri_." The words were hushed, but sharp.

"She has a point," Theron admitted with a sigh. "One of us is going to have to oversee it."

"I do love an audience." Rei shrugged, and Zaara supposed that was as close to permission as the Republic team was going to get.

"Look at him — he doesn't need more _pain_ ," Satele insisted, "he needs _healing_. Master Cori and I can speak with him."

 _Just set me loose with some interrogation probes_ , Zaara thought to herself, a frown beginning to form as the arguing continued. _Might as well throw my name into the mix, too_. Time was wasting, and this was the _one_ way they certainly wouldn't be getting any information out of the commandant. She was half convinced they should just put it to a simple vote — Marr would have her support if she couldn't vote for herself — but before she actually reached that level of frustration, the debating came to a virtual standstill at one of the Wrath's comments.

"I agree with Darth Marr," she repeated. "Pain is a language the Guard is familiar with. We know they respond to it. We don't know how they would react to healing — if at all." From her tone and stance, Lys seemed perfectly calm and at ease, but Zaara knew her well enough to sense the Wrath wasn't comfortable with the decision.

What's right isn't always easy — or however the saying went.

Satele frowned, her hands clasped behind her back as she regarded Lys with disappointment. "I suppose the decision has been made, then."

Marr — Zaara liked to assume he smiled, then — nodded. "I suppose it has. Nox, Captain — bring the prisoner. Agent Ven — you're welcome to observe, along with Master Neiri and whoever else the Jedi deem necessary."

Zaara passed on the opportunity; it would be a long, slow night and she wasn't exactly lacking in interrogation experience herself. Knowing Lys would stay behind as well, Zaara nudged her with her shoulder and flashed a tired smile. "It's been a long time since we've had a girls' night," she pointed out.

It was hardly the time or place to pick the tradition back up, but the day's events — and the events of the entire past two months, really — had exhausted her, and Zaara wanted nothing more than to curl up and forget about the rest of the galaxy, even if it was only for a couple of hours.

"You, Jaesa, and Vette pick the vid, Raina and I pick the wine?" she suggested, relaxing a bit as Lys offered a slow nod.

When Lys answered, she sounded as tired as Zaara felt. "How about a cheesy Republic romcom?"

* * *

The stale scent of blood and sweat and lingering ozone hung in the air around the edge of the main base. It was nearly dawn, but there were few in camp who had been able to sleep.

Rei motioned to the Imperial medical team that had been waiting, nodding back towards where the commandant was. "Keep him alive," she ordered. "He's no longer fit for duty. Have him taken to Dromund Kaas once he's stable." It had taken far longer than she'd expected for the commandant to break; she supposed — though she'd never admit it — that Satele had been right. Considering the horrors that Ivan had already been through, a bit of interrogation at the hands of Nox and Marr wouldn't have been all that impressive.

But they'd gotten their answer, and all that was left was to rally the troops — both literally and figuratively.

Instead of heading back to the conference area where she was expecting Marr to update Zaara and Evris, Rei made a slight detour to where Theron and T'sereen were speaking with Satele.

"No comments on my technique?" she quipped, eyes locking with T'sereen's. "I know how badly you wanted to join in. We could all sense it."

T'sereen simply glowered in response, but Theron placed a hand on Rei's shoulder. "It's been a long day, so — don't."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine," she relented after a moment, doing her best to squash her desire to see the Barsen'thor squirm. "I assume we're all caught up on the situation? Darth Marr and I agree it's best to call a meeting in a few hours to plan our next move.

Satele nodded, expression pensive; Rei wondered whether the scrutiny came from what she'd said to T'sereen or if it was because she was standing so close to Theron. Either way, the Grandmaster left, asking for a word with T'sereen and promising to be at the meeting.

"You look…" Rei trailed off, frowning as she tried to decipher Theron's expression. "Unsettled."

He crossed his arms, lips pursed as his eyes remained locked on Satele and T'sereen. "That's one way to put it, given the past few hours."

"What?" she asked cheerfully, planting her hands on her hips. "You didn't forget that I _am_ Sith?"

"No, but I didn't exactly need a _reminder_ , either." Theron glanced over at Rei, his expression finally lightening a bit. "I was mostly referring to the whole _mass ritual sacrifice_ thing. You're the expert on ancient Sith artifacts — is it even possible?"

Her frown deepened, fingers tapping uncertainly as she considered the question; Rei was, in all honesty, far from an _expert_ , but she did have _some_ knowledge on the subject. "Transferring physical energy," she mused, pausing to chew at her lip. "It's not unheard of. I've seen it happen on a much smaller scale, so… theoretically, yes?"

Theron let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair. He said nothing, looking thoughtful as he continued to watch Satele and T'sereen; Rei had to admit she was discovering a certain fondness for that particularly pensive expression. "Now we just have to find it."

"Don't forget," Rei pointed out lightly, "I'm Sith, _and_ an expert. We have nothing to worry about."

"Well, at least one of us feels good about our chances."

She simply watched him for a moment, head tilting to the side a bit before she gave up on trying to hold back a grin. "Leave the cynicism to the Sith," she suggested, pushing up onto her toes for a brief kiss before leading the way back towards the conference table.

* * *

Rei sat with her chin in her hands, slumped onto the table as Lana updated the map display with data from the latest reports. "Mark one of my teams down for the Republic camp, too." She stretched forward, pointing to the newest pair of outposts. "I've got a system worked out. We'll see how long it lasts."

"Master Cori mentioned you've got the Barsen'thor's apprentice working with your lieutenant?" Lana's question was an offhanded one, meant simply to fill the silence at the otherwise empty conference table. With the Empire and Republic both pushing to secure outposts deep in the jungle, on the very edge of Massassi territory, the main camp was emptier than it had been since Rei had arrived.

"Her name's _Nadia_ ," Rei mumbled, no more invested in the conversation than Lana seemed to be. "I believe Talos intends to learn as much about her homeworld as he can before we leave."

Lana minimized the display, making a few notes about supply lines. "That's good. The Barsen'thor doesn't seem the sort to take an interest in those things."

She shrugged. "Theron said she's apparently a surprisingly good teacher."

"I see." Lana paused for a moment, absentmindedly reaching for a datapad before laughing to herself. "Cori's the one who was telling me about the Barsen'thor," she offered as an explanation. "Look at us — two respectable Sith sharing Republic gossip in our spare time."

Rei took that as a sign that things had been worked out between Lana and Cori, though she didn't particularly care enough to pry. "You mean you don't _normally_?"

"I've never had reason to," she admitted thoughtfully.

"Apparently, it's quite boring compared to what gets passed around Kaas City, according to Ashara."

"Is it?" Lana offered politely, her concentration clearly focused on her datapad. Rei took that as her sign to leave, making some excuse before pushing away from the conference table.

While she was tempted so simply go back to her ship and sleep, the main camp seemed far too _cooperative_ for her to leave. Most days, the two sides of camp were clearly divided in the mornings and slowly mingled over the course of the day; by the evening, the atmosphere was far more relaxed.

Andronikos had a hand in that, Rei suspected, as did Kaliyo and Major Sohms.

Rei left the back clearing for the main camp, where a sizable group had gathered around a fire. Zaara and Vector sat with their backs to the Imperial side of camp, near Theron and Raina. Kaliyo, Andronikos, Pierce, the Weequay from Havoc, and Major Sohms all sat closer near the fire; T'sereen and her lieutenant — whatever his name was — sat past Davri, closer to the Republic side of camp.

She was considering heading back to her ship to watch holonet programs until she fell asleep, but Raina caught sight of her and motioned for Rei to join, giving a not-so-subtle nod of her head towards Theron. Rei rolled her eyes and mouthed _thanks_ before making her way over to them, taking a seat between the two agents.

"What'd I miss?"

Before either Raina or Theron could answer, Pierce leaned forward so he could see Rei. "Best planet to be stranded on for a month?"

"Coruscant," she answered automatically.

Beside her, Theron raised an eyebrow. "Have you ever even been to Coruscant?"

"No, but it's a _giant city_. So hotels," she counted off on her fingers, "restaurants, and probably no shortage of gangs and crime if you're running low on credits."

"Knew it." Andronikos leaned back towards Rei, holding out a hand for a fist bump. "Told you there was no way she'd pick Nar Shaddaa. I've got one — worst planet you've ever been assigned to?"

Immediately, there were a half dozen votes for Hoth. " _Really_?" Rei scoffed. "Because of a little cold?"

"Agreed," Davri spoke up. "You know what's worse? _Quesh_. Warzone, hutts, poisonous atmos—"

Pierce, drink in hand, leaned forward. "Don't get me started on fucking Quesh. Had a cave dropped on me there."

"Voss," the Weequay — Vik? Rei couldn't recall his name — countered. "The boss here," he explained, giving Davri a hearty clap on the shoulder, "pisses off a bunch of politicians, and leaves me and the droid to _play nice_ while she goes and messes up more shit."

"Mm, Voss was _pretty_ , at least. How about Belsavis?" Rei suggested. There was the whole _prison_ thing, and the fact that she'd had her body physically reconstructed by an ancient, sentient Rakatan machine. Her favorite part, though, was the numerous times Republic guards tried to stop her under the assumption that she was an _escaped prisoner_ — forget the robes and the lightsaber, she was _clearly_ a prisoner due to being Rattataki.

Belsavis was basically the worst planet Zash had sent her to.

For whatever reason, the mention of Belsavis led to another of Davri's rants — this time something about bureaucracy and the Republic being as bad as the Empire about… something. It wasn't really clear, and Rei wasn't sure if the mirialan was being intentionally vague or had just had too much to drink.

The debates carried on, moving from planets to holonet programs to various aspects of military life. After a bit, the group gradually dispersed, either to sleep or attend to some other responsibility, until only Rei, Theron, Raina, and Davri remained. Rei still wasn't certain whether she'd be able to sleep; despite the previous night's interrogation, the combination of caf and naps throughout the afternoon had left her with energy to spare at the end of the day.

"I meant to tell you," she remembered suddenly, turning to Theron, "I've… requisitioned you for tomorrow."

"…okay." His brow furrowed in confusion. "That's either a very good thing, or a very bad thing."

She laughed; opposite them, Davri made a face. "I've got teams working to secure those locking mechanisms we need," Rei explained. "Tomorrow, while they work, I'm heading down to Revan's temple to take another look. Of course, the Republic is really playing up the _cooperation_ angle now, so Satele insisted I receive Republic assistance." She scoffed. "It would be easier on all of us if they would all just admit they don't want the Empire getting to the information first."

"So, she doesn't trust you to go back to the temple alone and decided to send _me_ with you?"

"No. She's sending Havoc Squad."

"And you said no to that," Theron guessed.

" _I_ said no," Davri cut in. "Because since your girlfriend decided she's the one running this whole operation, if we want to do _anything_ — including trying to get to those damn locks — we now have to go through a bunch of forms and paperwork and bullshit just to get approval. Tomorrow's mission was already approved, and I wasn't about to go through the whole process a second time. Aric suggested Lieutenant Iresso, and I passed on the recommendation to Satele."

"Which is when I said no," Rei clarified, pointedly ignoring Davri's initial comment, "that _you_ would be accompanying me."

Theron massaged at one of his temples, sighing before glancing up at Davri. " _You_ can stop." He turned to Rei. "And it _is_ a bit ridiculous. This system you've got worked out makes it impossible to get people where they need to be."

"It's fairly standard, actually," Raina piped up, leaning forward. "Some of it's actually been simplified, if I'm not mistaken."

Rei crossed her arms. "See? And yes, I did that a few years ago when I took over. But _this_ — the forms and the dig sites and the artifacts — this is my job. For the three of you, there's the mission and that's _it_. I'm still concerned about saving the galaxy, of course," she assured them, rolling her eyes, "but I also have a vital section of the Empire to run." She turned to Theron, watching as his expression went from frustrated to uneasy, as it tended to whenever she brought up her position on the Dark Council.

She almost would've rather just dropped the subject right there, if only for Theron's comfort, but at the same time Rei had an undeniable need to tell him _everything_. She wanted to learn everything she could about _him_ — even the minuscule, unexciting pieces of everyday life — and wanted to share all the same things about herself. Despite the fact that the topic seemed to create a rift between them, Rei's work with the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge was the most important part of her life, and had been since she'd taken charge of the sphere.

Sure, she complained about the reports and having to deal with people and the majority of the Council, but she loved the work itself. And _that's_ what she had been wanting to share with Theron — one single day spent doing what she enjoyed the most.

Not that she'd actually considered if _he'd_ wanted that.

Before she could debate that particular point _too_ much, her thoughts were interrupted by Davri's increasingly obnoxious laughter. "I'm sorry," she forced out, the words not sounding apologetic at all, "it's just — and I'm not an expert on Imperial politics — but you're telling me _dusty tombs_ are as important as the military and laws and your secret police?"

Rage flared up within Rei and she clenched her teeth tightly enough that her jaw thrummed in pain. Beside her, Raina flinched; the agent was so adept at hiding her Force sensitivity that Rei often forgot about it entirely. "The Empire is built on the secrets found in _dusty tombs_ ," she snapped, already regretting rising to the Major's goading. Instead of doing anything increasingly rash, Rei stood, leaving without explanation and stiffly making her way back to her ship.

Part of her — an embarrassingly large part, actually — hoped Theron would follow, talk to her until she'd calmed back down and reassure her that she was right. It's what Andronikos would have done, at least. Though, he likely would've had a solution for Davri that included a handful of strategically placed blaster bolts; Rei suspected he and Theron had rather different opinions on murder as an answer to public humiliation.

But Theron didn't follow, and Rei made it all the way back to her ship alone. Instead of going to bed, she joined Andronikos and Ashara in the lounge, where some holodrama was playing. She curled up silently beside Andronikos, resting her head on his shoulder and letting him wrap an arm around her.

"What's wrong, Sith?"

"Just trying to work out how to show affection when murder isn't an option." Her earlier anger had dissipated, replaced by a disappointment she couldn't quite explain.

"Your agent?" he guessed.

She said nothing; Andronikos wouldn't pry, and Rei sensed more curiosity from Ashara than genuine concern. A few minutes later her datapad chimed; she would've ignored it if not for how important a message from Marr or Zaara or Talos could've been. Rei plodded to her cabin to check her datapad and, to her surprise — _pleasant_ surprise, even — she found a message from Theron.

 _[Just checking to make sure everything's alright_. _]_

It wasn't the grand gesture she'd hoped for; even so, she bit at her lip, pulling her knees up to her chest as she sat down on her bed. A dozen responses flitted through her mind, none of them satisfactory. After a few moments of staring down at the datapad, she typed out a simple reply.

 _[Of course. You didn't expect me to continue to suffer through the Major's ridiculous opinions, did you?]_

Rei regretted the response as soon as she sent it; it was stuffy, it was too much — it reminded her of one of Mortis or Ravage's overinflated answers they were always so proud of. She nearly jumped when she received the next message; it was less that she was surprised, and more that she was a giant ball of nerves. Instead of a single message, she found three, sent in quick succession.

 _[Good call, she's still going on about Imperial politics._  
 _Actually, now she's leaving._  
 _In case you wanted to come back.]_

She was smiling despite herself, and very nearly agreed to rejoin what little of the group was left out by the dying fire. But she'd already stormed through camp to return to her ship, and couldn't just go _back_ through the camp after making a show of walking off. Besides, their current conversation was more private than any in camp could ever be.

Rei wondered for a moment if she was taking too long to reply.

 _[Hmm… Tempting, but I have to pass.  
Too many dusty tombs to study, remember?]_

Tombs and artifacts and politics were the _last_ things on her mind, but Rei would recite every historical fact she knew if it would prolong the conversation.

It wasn't better than killing Major Sohms, Rei had decided, but it was still good.


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N:** in which theron is not a jedi, cori and lana make a decision, and felix is perfect_

 _I love felix a lot, okay. and I'm 99% certain he's the one with ambient dialogue on yavin telling you to stay hydrated. I love him. also! my smuggler makes an appearance and crime is committed._

* * *

"You know the Captain well?"

"Jorgan? Yeah." Felix stared down at his caf cup; despite having not yet touched it, he seemed unreasonably alert and cheery for the morning. "Served with him back on Ord Mantell. That was years ago, now." With a bit of a grin, he added, "He's still a hardass, though."

For the sake of small talk, Theron almost pointed out that Felix hadn't ever mentioned serving on Ord Mantell before; he didn't know Felix _all_ that well, but well enough to know that the topic of his constant reassignment was one to avoid.

It was, however, too early for small talk; Theron was regretting whatever it was that had possessed him to carry on a conversation with Rei long after she'd left the camp on a whim the night before. It had _almost_ been worth it; despite the little sleep he'd gotten, he now had a collection of odd — _endearing_ , some part of his mind corrected — facts about Rei — she kept her former master's lightsaber on her ship, for example, her favorite sandwich shop in Kaas City had gone out of business the year before, and she collected Republic military merchandise because she thought it was amusing.

"What's on the agenda for today, anyway?" Felix asked, pulling Theron from his thoughts. "All Major Sohms told me was that Darth Nox needed help and Havoc was busy."

Theron glanced up, shrugging. Whatever Rei needed them for, it involved Revan's temple — beyond that, he had no idea what she had planned.

"Oh. Well, I'd just figured, since…"

"What?"

But Felix simply shook his head. "Nevermind. It's not really my business, anyway."

He sighed, not missing the implication behind Felix's words. He and Rei had hardly had any time to spend together since she'd arrived on Yavin — she brought him caf almost every morning, if they could spare the time, but mostly they'd been far too busy — and yet somehow everyone seemed to _know_. He wasn't sure if it was Rei's failed attempts at what she claimed was _subtlety_ or if it was simply gossip. "I guess it's sort of an open secret."

He was surprised to find that Felix chuckled a bit at the remark. "Believe me, I know the feeling."

As far as Theron was concerned, _marrying a Jedi_ wasn't exactly the same sort of mistake as… whatever it was he was doing with Rei. But, he supposed, Felix had a point. "Well, it's not like the Council is going to interrogate either of us," he shrugged. "And this isn't serious or long term or anything, so…" Theron suppressed the urge to fidget at the words; he _knew_ it already, but actually _saying_ it was oddly… uncomfortable.

"That's what _I_ said," Felix pointed out, giving him a knowing look, "and look where I ended up. And all it took was two months on Hoth."

Theron rolled his eyes; he'd heard the story more than once from T'sereen. Besides, he knew — or, at least, _really_ hoped — that Felix was just giving him a hard time. Which he was grateful for, in a way, considering most everyone else seemed to respond by lecturing him on just what an _awful_ idea it was.

As if he didn't already know that.

Theron glanced up to find T'sereen sweeping through the camp, clearly looking for someone. She stopped when she found Felix, leaning down for a brief kiss before filling him in. "Nadia's out with the rest of the researchers. I'm headed out to the far outpost with Tharan to help with the wounded. We'll be a couple of days."

He nodded. "Stay safe, don't do anything I wouldn't do. And drink plenty of water."

"No promises." She began to leave, then paused and turned to Theron. " _You_ I need to speak with."

"Good luck," Felix offered cheerily. "I'll go find Darth Nox, see if she's ready to leave."

T'sereen watched as he left, her expression softening to the point where Theron couldn't hold back a remark. "Careful, someone might get the wrong idea. People will start to think you can be nice — it'll ruin your reputation."

She rolled her eyes. " _Ha ha_. And what about you, Agent _I-work-alone_? I hear you're taking this truce rather seriously."

"Don't even start."

"Fine — I don't want to hear about Nox, anyway. I already know _more_ than enough about her." Her words piqued Theron's curiosity, but he didn't pry. T'sereen motioned for him to follow, leading them back towards the clearing where a few of the ships were. As they made their way towards a small shuttle, T'sereen explained, "I needed help with some things, and asked a… _contact_ of mine to come take care of it."

Theron recognized the woman leaning against the shuttle; she'd waltzed into their safehouse on Rishi with that same smirk, a pair of blasters at her hip and a Wookie in tow. "Captain Margaret Sala," he greeted, wondering why exactly she was back.

T'sereen glanced between them. "You've met?"

The captain shrugged. "You're not the only one who pays me to keep their name clean."

Before, she'd been hired by Major Sohms to investigate the situation on Rishi in an attempt to avoid any possible fallout with her superiors in the military. Now, surrounded by Sith and in the middle of Imperial space, Theron almost didn't want to know what T'sereen was planning.

"I don't know the extent of whatever you've gotten into with Nox," T'sereen began, tone sharp, "and I really don't want to. But this is Republic business, and it's important, and I'm putting a lot on the line here."

"You don't have to worry about Nox." Theron wasn't sure if he was more insulted or simply annoyed that T'sereen felt the need to question his loyalty. "What's going on here?"

"Crime," Captain Sala announced. " _Ethical_ crime."

"Whatever secrets the Imperials pull from these ruins, we're taking," T'sereen clarified. "Tablets, datacrons, whatever artifacts and information they recover, the Jedi need. I'm not overly concerned with the Massassi, or even the Imperial Guard, but anything regarding Revan belongs to _us_."

"So why tell me? Does it have to do with going to the temple?" There were several things about T'sereen's words that unnerved Theron, but the most unsettling thing was the determined glint in her eyes. She'd always been upfront about her tendency to obsess, to waste her time and others' on near-impossible goals; it was part of the reason he hadn't recommended her for the original strike team, all those months ago when they'd been preparing the attack on Korriban.

If this would be turning into a similar crusade, he wanted no part in it.

But T'sereen shook her head. "I made the mistake of going to Satele first. She disapproves — of course — so I've taken things into my own hands, but she's keeping a close eye on me now. I need information," she admitted. "Where Nox has her teams stationed, where their camps are—"

"And how they're transporting the artifacts." Captain Sala pushed off from where she was leaning against the shuttle, crossing her arms. "This jungle has to be hard to navigate — our best bet is gonna be whenever they move the artifacts up to the main base."

"That's all on the display back at camp," Theron offered.

"Perfect. I can grab the coordinates from there." She banged on the shuttle door and called out, "Rish! Hurry it up." Satisfied, she slung an arm around Theron's shoulders and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial half-whisper. "See, officially, I'm here with medical supplies, but we don't want Satele getting suspicious of T'sereen. So _you_ get to be the initiative-taker that called me here."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Now let's hurry, because Sith make me nauseous."

* * *

"I'll handle this, acolyte." Lana shooed the young Sith away, taking the datapad from him and offering Cori an apologetic smile as she glanced over its contents. "Darth Nox's little declaration has got you trapped, too?" she asked, scrolling through the empty forms.

Cori let out a little huff of frustration. "One of those mechanisms she's trying to get to is right in the middle of those Massassi ruins, and she asked for help, so I sent Rusk with some Republic soldiers down to the lower wilds this morning," she explained, her shoulders slumping helplessly. "We haven't heard from them since they left — and that was hours ago. I'm starting to get worried."

Despite Marr being able to lessen Nox's demands somewhat, it was still putting strain on the entire camp; she'd decided that, in lieu of clearly defined dig sites, she would attempt to monitor activity across the _entire_ moon. Lana had thought it was ridiculous to attempt, until Nox gathered a small army of young Sith — each of them eager to earn her favor — and put them in charge of organizing the paperwork. Anyone attempting to leave the camp was immediately ambushed by no less than three demanding apprentices.

The Imperials were subject to the stifling arrangement as well, but it was clearly Nox's way of keeping an eye on the Republic. Lana wasn't even sure if she was _trying_ to hide that fact, either.

But Cori was worried, and that was more important to Lana than wondering if she was undermining Nox's authority. "Go on — I can vouch for you," she offered, placing a gentle hand on the Jedi's arm. They'd made some progress towards reconciliation, but Lana knew she still had a ways to go before re-earning Cori's trust.

She hesitated. "No. That's— that's exactly why Nox made the decision in the first place. There's no reason to risk making things worse."

"Then we'll call. Certainly _one_ of the teams that are already down there can spare someone to check up on them."

"No," Cori repeated, tone firm. "I'm the one who sent Rusk down there, I need to be the one who goes. If I—"

" _Cori_ ," Lana interrupted softly, fighting the urge to reach for her hand or cup her cheek or offer any sort of physical comfort. Even though she was — mostly — certain it would be appreciated, that they'd reached enough of an accord regarding her actions on Rishi that Cori would accept her affection, Lana held back.

Cori Ven — the Jedi in battered armor, the woman who willingly took on the weight of the galaxy, the savior who Satele praised and lauded in place of her own son — still saw attachments as a weakness.

Lana disagreed, naturally, but didn't argue; if Cori was so desperate for the Grandmaster's approval that she wanted to keep her affection for Lana entirely private, then Lana would indulge her.

It was utterly ridiculous, but she would indulge her.

"You don't need to handle everything _yourself_ ," she reminded Cori. Another shortcoming — Satele had somehow convinced Cori she was entirely irreplaceable, in a sense that went beyond simply valuing her and led to a paralyzing sense of _responsibility_. At the very least, Lana hoped to prove to Cori she wasn't alone in her endeavors. "Let me call first, at least."

Cori relented after a half-hearted protest. Lana suspected that Havoc Squad was their best choice, but didn't have the Major's holofrequency and, really, didn't like the woman enough to even endure a short conversation. She didn't particularly like the captain, either. Or the droid. Or any of Havoc, she supposed.

Instead, she contacted Talos, expecting him to be close enough to the ruins to investigate. It was also likely he'd have a large enough team to be able to send someone to investigate. To Lana's surprise, it wasn't Talos' image that appeared at the holoterminal, but a young woman dressed in Jedi robes.

"Um," she hesitated, " _Lana_ , right?"

"We need your help, Nadia." Cori stepped into view.

Her eyes widened in recognition, and she gave a short bob of her head. "Of course, Master Cori. I'm with Talos and a few soldiers and we're… sort of in a cave. I'm not sure how much help I can be."

"The cave — is it near the Massassi ruins?"

Nadia hesitated again. "Yes, but the ruins aren't exactly _small_."

"It's fine," Cori assured her. "This morning I sent one of my crew — Sergeant Rusk, I believe you've met him — out with a group of soldiers to assist Nox. We haven't heard from them."

Before she could actually ask for help, Nadia nodded vigorously. "They're fine. We ran into them, um… a couple of hours ago, maybe. They're up at the new camp now."

"What new camp?"

"The ruins are so big and spread out that it was getting too dangerous to go all the way back to the outposts when someone was hurt," Nadia explained, voice faltering momentarily as she glanced behind her. "Talos says he's here if you need him, Lord Beniko."

"The camp," Lana pressed.

"Major Sohms and Doctor Cedrax set up a temporary camp to treat some injuries," she continued. "It was just supposed to be enough to keep the soldiers alive until they could make it back to the outpost, but then…" Nadia paused, frowning in thought. "Then the medic that travels with the Wrath started helping, and I think that's where T'ser— um, Master Neiri is now."

"Good." Lana nodded; a camp on the far side of the ruins made sense, even if it would be more difficult to ensure it received the necessary supplies. Luckily, their mission seemed to be drawing to an end, so their dwindling medical supplies — hopefully — wouldn't be an issue. "And the mechanisms? How are they coming along?"

"We've got three uncovered in the ruins itself," she reported, expression brightening. "Theron said according to the sensors, there's a fourth. There's another team looking for it, though. The one we've found is more complex. Talos is trying to translate some of the runes — we think they may tell us how it all works."

"I'll give Darth Nox the update. Alert us when you've secured the final mechanism." After Nadia's cheery _Of course!_ , the line fizzled out, leaving Cori and Lana in relative privacy. "Of all the days for Nox to go hunting for Revan," Lana sighed, searching for a topic of conversation for the sake of spending a few more moments with Cori.

But Cori didn't seem interested; she was staring at the ground, a frown slowly beginning to form. "This is it, isn't it?" she asked, glancing up at Lana. "Tomorrow, maybe the day after… and it's all over, one way or another." Before Lana could say anything, Cori admitted, "I didn't realize it would be so difficult."

"Neither did I. But—" Lana hesitated; as far as she was concerned, there was no need to dwell on the subject just yet, but she was also aware that it could simply be Cori's way of pulling away. While she did follow the code of her Order, she didn't necessarily agree with the common interpretation, but Lana didn't know exactly how far Cori was willing to continue in regards to their feelings for each other.

If this was the Jedi's way of ending things, of declaring that they could be allies — perhaps even friends — but no more, then Lana wouldn't press for more.

But when Cori looked back up at her, there was a new sort of determination in her eyes. "Stay with me?" She reached for Lana's hands, her eyes flicking down to their intertwined fingers before glancing upwards again. "Tonight. If you'd like."

Part of Lana wanted to accept, to admit that the question had been on her own mind for quite some time, but part of her immediately protested; as inane as she found some of the Jedi Order's restrictions, she knew how important it all was to Cori, and her earlier hesitance only strengthened. But the heat in Cori's gaze and the longing in her voice was enough to shatter any resistance Lana would have given. "Only if you're certain this is what you want."

Cori glanced off towards the Republic side of their main base, but with the recent quiet in camp she and Lana were alone for the moment. She leaned forward for a brief, chaste kiss, and Lana found herself tightening her grasp on the togruta's hands to keep from pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. "I'm certain," she promised.

* * *

Rei's muscles were beginning to ache and one of her legs had fallen asleep, but she didn't dare move. She was seated in the middle of the central chamber of Revan's temple, making a poor attempt at meditating. Theron alternated between typing away at a datapad and pacing behind Rei, while Iresso stood watch at the entrance.

The outer portion of the temple, as Revan had pointed out the last time Rei had visited, was damaged enough that any sealed rooms could be accessed through holes in either the outer walls or walls to adjacent rooms or, in one case, through the collapsed ceiling. The central room — and the largest, so far — led deeper into the temple, to rooms that were half-underground and currently inaccessible due to a sealed door.

Rei had tried forcing it, shooting lightning at it, searching for an opening mechanism, and shooting lightning at it again, before giving up and attempting to meditate. She was missing _something_ ; her original intent had been to find Revan again, but in the absence of Layla's ghost, Rei had taken to scouring the rest of the temple and recording anything of interest.

She was missing something, and yet had been over the temple grounds a half dozen times.

A thought was beginning to occur to her, and Rei was starting to think she'd have to leave the temple for the time being and do some outside research first. She waved Theron over, grabbing his hand when he was close enough and tugging him down to sit cross-legged beside her.

"You're giving up?" he guessed, not pulling his hand from hers.

"No." Still staring at the door, she explained, "I need a Jedi."

"I'm—"

"Not a Jedi," she finished. "Your pacing was distracting," she lied, not about to admit that she simply enjoyed being close to him. Rei shifted so she was seated in a more comfortable position before speaking again. "At the moment, we have no record of Layla Karris ever being on Yavin 4. Obviously, she _was_ , so step one is to find out _when_. It's possible the situation requires a method that's a touch less… dark."

Theron offered an unimpressed sigh and a sidelong glance. "So, we've been out here all day, and now you're saying we have to wait on a Jedi to come all the way from camp to do all the same things you've been doing."

Rei almost felt guilty for having Theron come with her; she didn't care about the lieutenant, but it _had_ occurred to her — several hours too late, of course — that she should've at least asked _Theron_. Not that she would've had the time, considering it had been a spur of the moment decision meant to spite Satele.

"Theron, you underestimate me. I never work with a Jedi unless forced." Rei fished out her holocomm, punching in Darth Praetis' frequency. "I have a secret weapon."

The Sith's image appeared a moment later; she was dressed in an immaculate gown, her dark hair pulled into a neat bun and a drink in hand. "Darth Nox," she greeted stiffly, amber eyes flicking towards Theron.

"Darth Praetis. I need a favor."

"One moment." Praetis handed off her glass to someone, her image flickering as she walked. "Delicate business," she offered in apology. "Can I assume it's about Revan?"

"We need to know if she was ever on Yavin 4," Rei confirmed.

Praetis' lips pursed in thought. "I couldn't say. I can check. Thanaton's old library on the Citadel — you've maintained it, I presume?" When Rei nodded, Praetis added, "I'll send my apprentice there to search. With your permission, of course."

"Absolutely. Tell her to let me know when she arrives. Security's been upgraded and I'd hate for her to run into trouble." With Praetis' promise that Vrynn would call, Rei set her holocomm down and tilted her head up towards Theron. "And now we wait."

Theron raised an eyebrow, regarding Rei with amusement. "Pretty impressive, as far as secret weapons go."

Before Rei could respond to his sarcasm, Iresso cleared his throat; the lieutenant stood in the doorway behind them, hesitant and looking almost confused. "You might want to come take a look at this, Darth Nox. There's a… it looks like a holocron of some sort. Sith, maybe."

With an exasperated sigh, she finally relinquished her grip on Theron's hand and pulled herself to her feet. "And you're an expert on Sith holocrons?" Assuming he was right, and _had_ actually found a Sith holocron, Rei wouldn't care if the Emperor himself had handed it to Iresso — no matter how it had been found, it was now hers to study.

Iresso hesitated again. "It doesn't look like a Jedi artifact, so… call it a hunch." He led her back into the room with the collapsed ceiling, delicately picking up a holocron that sat on one of the larger pieces of rubble. The room was covered with pieces of tablets and shards of pottery and various other artifacts, along with enough stone to make it nearly impossible to move around. "It was tucked away in all this debris. Easy enough to miss, but it glows just enough to stand out now that it's getting dark."

Rei grabbed the holocron and clambered back out of the room, holding up the little cube with a triumphant grin as she approached Theron. "Forget my secret weapon and forget the Jedi," she announced, "because this may be all I need."

"You think it belonged to Revan?"

She shrugged. "I'm not even sure the _temple_ belonged to Revan. But this — it's not Sith, not exactly. I'll have to find a way to access it first, but…" She trailed off, studying the elaborate designs on the holocron's exterior. There was something _familiar_ about the whole thing, something that reminded her distinctly of the ritual Zash had attempted years ago. "I think I need to talk to Zash first."

"Zash?" Theron echoed. He looked concerned — no doubt brought on by Rei's sudden hesitance — but said nothing further.

"Long story. She's a sort of advisor to me, now." To her relief, Theron didn't press, and Rei pushed the subject from her mind and instead pulled out her holocomm. As Talos' image appeared, Rei forced a grin and gave the holocron a little wave. "Talos! We have work to do when this is all over."

His expression brightened, eyes widening in curiosity. "Did you find that in the temple?

"I did, and I'll fill in you and Ashara as soon as the Revanites are taken care of. How are things with you?"

"Mission success, my lord," Talos reported proudly. "Each of the locking mechanisms has been accounted for. Nadia and I are far from finished with the translations, but we believe we've nearly worked out how to use the mechanisms."

"Perfect. I'll be there first thing in the morning," she promised. "Keep working at those translations. We'll report in to Marr and the others."


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N:** in which cori is a Bad Jedi, davri vows revenge, and nox does not bind revan's ghost_

 _mostly just mechanisms + poking at the plot to move it along. the next two chapters need a lot of work and I've been falling behind on editing bc of real life stuff, but hopefully it won't be more than a week or two before I get the next chapter up._

* * *

 _Cori._

She wasn't sure how many times she heard her name spoken, the familiar voice calling out and interrupting her nightmares. She heard it twice more — Lana's voice, she finally recognized — before Cori completely pulled herself from the murky dream.

Without otherwise moving, Cori reached for where Lana's hand rested on her arm. She stared straight ahead, breathing heavily and trying to calm herself.

"Are you alright?"

It was a few moments before Cori trusted herself to speak. "I'm… I'll be fine," she promised, pulling herself up so she was sitting. "Bad dream," she explained weakly. "They've gotten worse with… since I've been on Yavin 4." She couldn't even recall what the nightmare had entailed, now that she was awake, only that it left her chilled and frantic.

Keeping their hands joined — Cori held onto Lana's like a lifeline — Lana moved so she was sitting closer to Cori. "Is there anything I can do to help? Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." The nightmares had begun after her initial encounter with the emperor, and had worsened again after arriving on Yavin. She wasn't going to tell Lana about the months she'd spent under the influence of the emperor; she hadn't told anyone, not even her sister, and the only ones she felt comfortable discussing it with were Kira and Satele.

Besides, it wasn't as if there was much to actually talk about, anyway. As with most of the nightmares, this one had been less an actual _dream_ and more a feeling, a lingering dread and terror that would shock her awake and leave her restless for the remainder of the night.

As Cori sat hunched over, rubbing tiredly at her eyes and still trying to slow her erratic breathing, Lana pressed a light kiss to her bare shoulder. "I understand."

For a moment, Cori debated telling her everything; as much as she still didn't entirely trust Lana, _couldn't_ trust her after Rishi, she desperately _wanted_ to. There were dozens of different warnings going off in her mind — she was Sith, she was a betrayer, she was drawing Cori away from the Jedi code, she was everything the Jedi warned against — but Cori ignored them all. _Had been_ ignoring them, since Rishi.

It felt too _right_ , being there with her.

"Lana, I—" Cori paused, fumbling over her words and not certain how to express exactly what she felt. She glanced down at their intertwined fingers, watched Lana's thumb glide thoughtlessly across the back of her own hand.

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to," she assured her.

"Thank you." Cori allowed herself to remain there for a few minutes longer, simply sitting with Lana in a comfortable silence. But they had a mission to complete, and it was late enough that she saw no point in trying to get back to sleep. Lana, much to Cori's relief but not necessarily surprise, agreed, though she insisted on confirming again that Cori wasn't too affected by the nightmare. After a quick shower and breakfast — and the pleasant yet accidental discovery that Lana was quite ticklish — Cori led the way to the main camp, more than a little hopeful that their early start meant that they'd be among the first up that morning.

Of course, they weren't _quite_ that lucky.

She took solace in the fact that, at least, Master Satele wasn't among the crowd at the conference table. It was mostly Imperials she didn't recognize, but there were enough familiar faces that Cori still felt her cheeks flush with heat. Lana, on the other hand, got straight to business, taking her place beside Darth Marr and glancing over the holodisplay.

Cori slid in between Kira and Theron, clasping her hands behind her back and very pointedly avoiding Zaara's knowing smirk. "I'm guessing this means we're ready to take care of the locking mechanisms?" she whispered, leaning in towards Kira.

"Yep. And I'm guessing _that_ meant I should be glad I fell asleep watching a holovid with Ashara and Andronikos?"

"Just fill me in on the situation."

Kira handed over her datapad, but her whispered explanation was cut off as Darth Nox snapped at something Major Sohms had said. As Cori glanced over the information — mostly just a summary of the mechanisms, along with a few translations that didn't seem particularly relevant — the argument between the two grew until Zaara quieted them both.

"Darth Nox has a point," she insisted. "This isn't a matter of cooperation or secrets, she's just trying to do her job."

From beside Theron, Nox glared at Davri. "This has already been decided, _Major_. Havoc Squad will assist, but _I_ am going to be the one to handle the locking mechanisms. Besides, your _expertise_ has ruined enough already."

"Right," Davri scoffed. "Maybe because you sent a demolitions expert and a war droid to guard a structure that was already falling apart. That one's on _you_."

"Commanders like you are why the Republic military is such an embarrassment," Nox quipped in return, already stalking away from the table. As she left, Marr and Theron both sighed. Zaara still looked vaguely amused.

"We will continue as planned," Marr announced. "Major Sohms will assist Darth Nox, and Agent Shan will monitor the situation from here. Master Cori, the Grandmaster has asked that you accompany Agent Ven to beginning scouting the temple."

Cori gave a dutiful bob of her head, already dreading the inevitable interrogation at the hands of her sister. But as the group began to disperse, a young Jedi approached her and explained that Satele wanted a word with her before she left; grateful for the momentary distraction, Cori made her way through the camp to where the Grandmaster was waiting, steeling herself before announcing her presence. "You wished to speak with me, Master Satele?"

"I did, yes." She paused, waiting so long before speaking again that Cori almost spoke up. "Darth Nox has made it clear from the moment she arrived that she intended to investigate Revan's presence here. Since discovering the nearby temple, she's treated our main mission as a secondary objective. This has troubled Master Neiri since our arrival, but I didn't initially share her concerns."

"Something's changed," Cori guessed.

"Darth Nox recovered a Sith holocron from the ruins yesterday," Satele confirmed. "She claims it didn't belong to Revan, but even if she's telling the truth, we cannot rely on the Sith to share whatever knowledge lies in that holocron." She placed her hands behind her back, expression hardening. "For three hundred years, the Sith have tried to bury the truth about Revan. This may be our best chance to discover what really happened. I know Lord Scourge has kept to himself, but perhaps he could tell us more about this temple and how Revan is connected to it."

She nodded. "Of course. Marr asked me to help Zaara, but I can—"

"No," Satele interrupted lightly, shaking her head. "Stopping Revan is still our first priority. We can't risk failure — we need you out there. I'd prefer to send Kira with Scourge."

Cori almost protested, for the simple fact that Kira was going to _hate_ being asked to spend time trying to needle the truth from Scourge. But she was trustworthy, and Satele was right — as important as preserving any information about Revan was, stopping her impostor was even more important.

* * *

"Sit still or I'm just going to leave you here."

Vik simply grinned back at Davri. "You couldn't bear to leave me."

She rolled her eyes as she reached for another kolto patch, suppressing a groan at her dwindling supplies. "Is _now_ really the best time to test that theory?" Despite how bad it looked, the wound wasn't all that concerning. A lucky swing of a Revanite's lightsaber had left a short, clean gash on Vik's side; a bit of kolto and a quick scan for internal damage and Davri was finished.

"How's it looking out there, Captain?" Davri stood, tossing a bottle of water to Vik and motioning for him to stay put. They'd taken cover in one of the more intact ruins, a decent distance from the ruins but still close enough that Davri had Aric keep watch. Earlier that morning they'd met with Darth Nox, keeping the area cleared as she'd messed with one of the locking mechanisms. Between the Massassi and the occasional Revanite patrol, there hadn't been any way the three of them could hold the position after Nox had left.

"Clear. The Wrath just came through here — looked like she was headed for the medical camp." He glanced back at Davri as she approached. "Which makes it the perfect time to head back to the outpost, assuming the lieutenant is capable of walking."

"The _lieutenant_ ," Vik shot back, "would like to be carried. Maybe fanned. A massage wouldn't hurt either."

"Bridal style, all the way back to camp," Davri promised, sarcasm coloring her voice. "C'mon, Vik, get your ass over here. We're—" She cut off as her comm link beeped.

" _Are you still out near the ruins_?" It was Theron, sounding more than a bit agitated.

"We were just about to head back to the outpost," she reported. "I'm with Jorgan and Vik, the rest of Havoc split a couple hours ago to take care of the northern mechanism for Darth Nox."

" _Good. I'm sending you the coordinates for the second set of locking mechanisms_."

"Why?"

It was a few moments before he answered. " _We lost contact. Both Nox and Andronikos — their comm line went dead and they aren't answering their holocomms. It's been almost an hour since anyone's heard from either of them_." Theron paused again, and Davri could just make out a frustrated sigh. " _You're the only ones in the area._ "

From his tone, it was obvious that Havoc had been his absolute last choice. Jaw clenching, Davri glanced over to Aric for an opinion; he didn't seem particularly glad about the development, but gave a little shrug as if to say _we don't have much of a choice_.

" _We need to start planning the final attack as soon as Zaara and Cori report back in,_ " Theron pointed out, presumably either in response to Davri's silence or in expectation that she would refuse. " _Those mechanisms have to be taken care of before then_."

"Yeah, we're on it."

It wasn't far to the cave where the coordinates were located, and they found both Nox and Andronikos as expected. Andronikos seemed fine, and Nox looked a bit lost, but otherwise no worse for wear. "Guess what, Theron?" Davri sighed, not bothering to hide her irritation.

Nox raised a hand, giving Davri a little wave to get her attention. "Comms don't work in here. The mechanisms, they interfere," she explained, making vague motions towards the assortment of crystals standing within the cave. Some seemed to be crackling with energy, while others were entirely dormant.

"Great. Well, we'd better get back outside and let him know that we're all alive and accounted for."

"Hey — Major." Andronikos motioned for her to wait. "The translations weren't all accurate. One of the crystals went haywire, zapped her pretty good."

Davri gritted her teeth; every instinct was screaming to _leave_ , to let the Sith succumb to whatever horrible fate awaited her. It was the logical choice. It was what an _Imperial_ soldier would've done to a Jedi, and Davri hadn't ever been a believer in _being the bigger person_ — she would gladly stoop to whatever level the enemy did.

But they had more important things to worry about, blah blah _blah_ something about cooperation. She _hated_ their current alliance.

"Captain, go update Theron." She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, waiting until Aric's footsteps were no longer audible before looking back at the Sith. "We're short on supplies," Davri offered tersely, "but I'll do a scan for internal damage. That's the best I can offer."

Andronikos shrugged, easily meeting Davri's glare. "Fine."

"I'm not _dying_ ," Nox scoffed. "I've got enough experience with _that_ to be fairly certain I know when it's happening."

Stifling a sigh, Davri pulled out her med scanner and ran a quick check, glancing through the results with a frown; she didn't actually know anything about Rattataki physiology. Everything _looked_ normal, but Davri's confidence level was low enough that if Nox had been a Republic soldier, she would've recommended she stop by one of the outposts.

But she couldn't exactly say she had a vested interest in healing Imperials.

"She's right," Davri confirmed, tucking away the med scanner. "She's not dying."

"Try not to sound so disappointed."

She ignored Nox's words, already headed back outside to check in with Theron. Vik gave her a wide grin as they exited the cave, jerking a thumb back over his shoulder to point towards Nox. "We could've taken 'em."

"One day, Vik," she sighed. "One day we _will_."

* * *

"If I'd known saving the galaxy was _this_ easy, I would've suggested that we tried it years ago."

"It's not easy," Rei countered, watching the crystal mechanism warily for a few moments after she finished tampering with it. "It just seems like it, because now we have people to do all the difficult work for us."

Beside her, Andronikos shrugged. "I don't know, we're still spending all our time in creepy Sith caves and tombs. Doesn't seem like all that much has changed."

"It's not Sith, and it's not a tomb."

"Whatever."

Rei finally tore her eyes from the mechanism, glancing up at Andronikos with a sigh. "I suppose we should let everyone else know we're finished."

A quiet, sing-song voice called out from behind them. " _Wrong_. Hate to break it to you, but you're far from finished."

"What a coincidence," Rei sighed, rolling her eyes as she turned to face Layla. "Let me guess — you knew _all_ about this whole system, but couldn't be bothered to tell anyone? Didn't want to get involved?"

"I did _not_ , in fact, know about it," she countered, reaching up to tuck her unruly curls behind her ear. "The kid with my mask plans to bring the emperor back, right? So do you want to hear what I have to say about the subject, or no?"

"I wanted to know _yesterday_ , when I spent all day at your temple."

Layla made a face, eyebrows knitting together and lips moving silently as she searched for words. "My..? You don't mean— You're talking about those ruins?"

"Doesn't really matter whose it is," Andronikos pointed out. "Let's just _go_ , Rei."

She grabbed his arm as he turned to leave. " _I_ want to know whose it is." She hadn't really expected it to belong to Revan; Rei had only been referring to it as _Revan's temple_ because it was the first place she'd encountered the spirit, and there were enough ruins on the moon that she needed to be able to specify.

"When have we ever had luck with ghosts?"

"I'm not planning to bind her, now am I?"

"I wouldn't put it past you."

Before Rei could respond — appealing as the idea of binding Darth Revan's spirit might have been, she agreed that it wasn't worth the trouble — Layla spoke up. "First off, that isn't even necessary because I'm willing to cooperate. Second, _try_ to bind me and I will find a way to kill you. _Now_ ," she sighed, "if that's clear, the temple belonged to the woman who killed me — it's not important."

"What about the emperor?" Rei prompted, unfazed by the threat.

"This… ritual. I don't know the specifics, but I don't think it'll work." Layla frowned, hesitating. "Not entirely, at least. This moon just isn't populated enough to bring the emperor back into a complete physical form."

"It has to help, though," Andronikos guessed. "That energy has to go _somewhere_."

"Not the point. True, but not the point. Even if it _was_ enough, you can't kill him. No one can," she stressed. "Not the kid with my mask, not you, not the combined Jedi and Sith forces gathered here." She hesitated again before revealing, "I've seen him struck down twice, and both times he recovered."

Rei began to pace, chewing at her lip as she processed Layla's words. Reassuring though it might have been to learn the false Revan wouldn't be able to bring back the Emperor, that didn't mean they could simply sit back and allow him to try. "So what _can_ we do? About the emperor?"

Layla shrugged. "If I knew, I'd tell you. Step one is to stop this ritual from happening, I guess."

"It _is_ true what they say," Rei muttered, rolling her eyes, "about Darth Revan being a strategic genius."

"Of the three of us, _who's_ got the terrifying legacy that shaped the galaxy?"

"Point. _Taken_."


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N:**_ _in which revan is pissed, ~revan~ is unmasked, and nobody knows how to emotion_

 _ft. a cameo by the sith emperor, as himself_

* * *

If there was one thing that both Imperial and Republic soldiers had in common, Rei learned, it was that they celebrated by drinking obscene amounts of alcohol.

It was a premature celebration, in some ways, but no one was willing to put an end to it and as a result, the cheering and shouting and laughter bled over from the main camp to the back conference area, where things were much quieter and somber.

Their plan had been flawlessly executed, and they'd captured Revan while he was still preparing his ritual. He now stood in Force cuffs, while both Jedi and Sith discussed his fate. Rei stood watch alongside the Wrath, wondering when — or even _if_ — Layla would decide to make an appearance.

After a few moments, Zaara approached the conference table, pulling up some information on the holodisplay. "Say hello to Lord Aradin Karris," she announced, displaying what seemed to be bits of census data. "An Intelligence operation in early 11 ATC flagged him as a possible Revanite member, back when we were investigating their activity on Dromund Kaas. Certain… complications within Intelligence the following year kept any of those leads from being followed."

Marr gave a slow nod. "Then he is an Imperial citizen and therefore subject to Imperial law."

Rei could already imagine the uproar this would cause within the Council. Execution was, of course, standard in a situation like this, but Revan — or, _Aradin Karris_ — was a rather valuable target. But before Rei could ask whether they'd be detaining him for interrogation instead, Satele spoke up. "He threatened the entire galaxy. His fate should not be left entirely to the Empire."

Once again, Rei's response was cut off — this time, by the now-familiar presence of Layla. Her form shimmered into view beside Rei, arms crossed and mouth twisted into an unimpressed frown. "Well, _actually_ …"

"Layla," Rei greeted flatly. "Your sense of dramatic timing is excellent, as always."

A quiet murmur rippled through the rest of those gathered at Layla's appearance, and she shrugged. "I mean, I've had a few hundred years to perfect it." Glibness suddenly disappearing, she stared down at the self-proclaimed _Revan_ , the man they'd chased halfway across the galaxy, the impostor who'd tried to steal her legacy. " _Mask_ ," Layla insisted sharply. "Now."

He complied without argument; beneath the mask, he had an uncanny resemblance to Layla — the same coppery skin, the same tawny eyes, the same mop of dark curls. "The Empire tries to hide your legacy," he offered in weak defense, staring up at Layla with a mix of awe and shame, all pride and bluster gone. "They call you a heretic and a traitor — I just wanted to remind them of all you accomplished."

" _Silence_."

Rei could sense Marr's anger, though whether it was directed at Aradin or at her own familiarity with Layla, she couldn't say. She took the mask from Aradin and handed it back to Lana. "We call lots of people heretics and traitors," she pointed out, "so you'll have to do better than that."

Satele, hands clasped behind her back and surprise at Layla's appearance now stifled, frowned and glanced from Layla back to Aradin. "The Empire has long denied Revan's accomplishments as a Jedi," she said in what almost sounded like agreement. "But if that was truly your reasoning, why strike out against the Republic as well?"

"You're no better," Aradin explained, sneering. "You denied her when she was alive, and _still_ deny her when she's dead. Darth Revan was _Sith_ , and the Republic—"

"I was a mother and a wife when I died," Layla snapped, her composure slipping for a moment before she once again became a picture of nonchalance. "I _wanted_ to be forgotten. I tried for _years_ to get the galaxy to forget me, and you people just couldn't leave me alone. You can't even give me some peace and quiet now that I'm dead," she scoffed. Layla turned to Rei, hand on her hip and expression almost bored. "He goes with the Sith."

There was a brief moment of silence; Rei held back from saying anything, waiting expectantly for Satele's inevitable outrage.

Or… whatever Jedi did when they were upset.

There was certainly an edge to Satele's voice when she spoke, but she managed to sound more disappointed and annoyed than _mad_. "I would've expected a different response from someone so celebrated for her compassion and mercy. Perhaps things have changed somewhat in the last three hundred years, but the Sith—"

"Will torture and kill him, probably." Layla waved a hand dismissively. "It's not about compassion, it's about _justice_. And I'm _sure_ things have changed in the last three hundred years, but the Jedi once ripped my mind apart and called it _mercy_ so no, this isn't the _merciful_ solution."

Voices clamored and were nearly instantly silenced. A _presence_ , powerful and ancient and sickening, suddenly occupied Rei's mind. It was suffocatingly heavy, even compared to the darkness of the Yavin moon; Rei found herself wavering, reaching a hand out instinctively and steadying herself by grasping the Wrath's arm.

And then it was gone.

For the first time, Aradin looked truly defeated, on his knees before them with his shoulders slumped forward, pride and arrogance no longer emanating from him. Rei could feel the others begin to reach out in the Force, searching for _something_ , for any trace of this entity or where it could've gone. As she looked up, she shared a glance with Satele, and there was a rare moment of mutual understanding between them.

Revan may have been taken care of, but the Emperor had returned — Yavin Four was simply the beginning.

* * *

"Again."

Ashara leapt forward, her blue lightsabers clashing with Evris' red ones. She pressed forward, nearly overtaking Evris and fighting with a clarity and finesse that Rei wasn't sure she'd ever seen from her apprentice. She frowned as she continued watching, wondering what exactly Darth Evris had done to get Ashara to respond so well to her training.

"Something wrong?"

Rei glanced up to where Theron sat beside her and shook her head. "Look at how well she's doing — _that's_ the problem. It doesn't make sense." She tapped her fingers along the edge of her caf cup, ignoring the condensation that had formed from the warm morning weather. "Maybe it's just this moon."

"This really bothers you, doesn't it?" Theron guessed, amused.

"No." They were already sitting far more closely than was strictly necessary, and Rei hardly had to move to nudge Theron with her shoulder. "Watch—" She pointed towards Ashara as she neatly dodged Evris' attack, "—she _never_ does that. If _I_ were the one out there, she would've just…" Rei trailed off, still leaning into Theron but entirely captivated by her apprentice; there was no denying that Ashara was a talented combatant, but Rei hadn't ever seen her quite so focused and graceful.

She would've intervened if not for the fact that that they'd only be on the moon for a few more hours. With Revan taken care of — _both_ Revans — the truce with the Republic was coming to an end. Most of the Republic forces had left the day before; T'sereen and her fleet had been the first to leave, and Satele's forces had followed. There were only a few troops and a handful of Jedi left, and Satele and Marr had agreed that the Republic would be entirely gone by that evening.

Rei, as much as she wanted to stay, needed to get back to Dromund Kaas for a few weeks, but she knew she'd be back soon to continue her research. Zaara had left earlier that morning, with the bulk of the Imperial fleet, and the Wrath would be departing with Marr. Soon, Yavin 4 would be nearly as desolate as it had been before they'd arrived.

The thought had been nagging at her all morning. She'd hardly left Theron's side in the few days since they'd stopped Revan, but in a few hours they would be parting ways for good.

Their impending separation was rather upsetting, and Rei hadn't decided how to feel about that revelation just yet.

Not wanting to dwell on it, Rei turned her attention back to Ashara and Evris. They were no longer sparring, but were deep in conversation. She could've continued staring, but her holocomm chimed; she ignored it, already knowing it would be about the upcoming council meeting — she was _dreading_ having to explain the mess that had been the past few months, even if Marr would be there to report in as well. At Theron's questioning glance, Rei shook her head and explained, "Council business. It's not important."

"I bet that'll be fun to take care of."

She groaned in response. They fell back into silence, and Rei began to wonder how exactly to go about _leaving_. She wasn't very proficient at saying goodbye; really, she hadn't ever had to, not like this. Andronikos, Talos, and Zash were all — _mostly_ — still with her, and anyone she'd genuinely cared about that she'd lost had been _killed_ , not chosen to leave.

An idea was beginning to form. It wasn't the best, but perhaps the simplest.

Rei sighed, and the words came out all at once. "I need to leave. We're not _leaving_ leaving for another few hours, but I need to meet with a few Reclamation Service officers to discuss the situation while I'm gone, and I was actually supposed to do that an hour ago." She stopped herself, frowned, and began again. "I just need to take an hour or so to go check up on Talos and whoever's in charge of the site closer towards the temple. It won't take long."

"Yeah. Okay. And anyway we knew this was… ending, right?" Theron didn't quite meet her gaze, glancing back towards the Republic side of camp.

"Exactly." Rei hesitated; her _leave as quickly as possible_ plan was beginning to draw out, and she knew she couldn't solely blame Theron for that. "The Empire would fall apart without me to keep the Council in check. Speaking of— I _am_ friends with the head of Sith Intelligence, if you'd like to tag along later."

Theron laughed, lightly enough that Rei knew he was aware she was joking. Well, mostly; she wouldn't hesitate to speak to Zhorrid if Theron _did_ take her up on her offer. "As tempting as that _definitely_ sounds, rumor is I'm actually getting my job with the SIS back."

"Shame."

"Right? You'd think stopping a galaxy-wide threat would at least earn me a promotion."

"Mm, me too— Wait." As Rei stood to leave, she offered a look of mock confusion. "I don't think you _can_ promote a member of the Dark Council." She gave a little _what can you do_ shrug. A part of her mind reminded her that everything she was doing was the exact _opposite_ of leaving quickly.

If Theron was still bothered by mentions of Rei's position, he hid it well, instead rolling his eyes. "Don't rub it in."

"Yes, I have… I should go speak with Talos." Pivoting stiffly on her heel, Rei made her way back towards her ship, pausing briefly to interrupt Evris and Ashara. "You can return to Dromund Kaas with me now, or stay and continue with Evris and return with her. Your choice, but make it quick."

Ashara glanced between the two Sith, but Evris spoke up first. "I have no arguments if you'd wish to stay. I believe sparring with my own apprentice could be beneficial for you."

"I'll stay," Ashara decided, though her words were somewhat hesitant.

"Good." Rei left before her apprentice had even finished speaking, marching towards her ship. Inside, she found Vette and Andronikos in the lounge, drinking and playing cards. "You may stay or leave," she told Vette, "but do either quickly. We're headed to Kaas City."

Vette stood, taking a long drink from her glass before setting it down. "No offense, but I'll leave."

As soon as she was gone, Rei slumped down onto the couch. "Ashara will meet us when the Wrath returns. Remind me to contact Talos once we land. We should… leave." There wasn't much that Rei had truly felt _guilty_ about in her life, but this — leaving the Yavin moon when Theron would be expecting her to return — was beginning to bother her. Perhaps it wasn't _right_ , but it would be simpler and easier for both of them. Rei expected that Theron — or at least some small part of him — would recognize and understand that.

It was only a moment before Andronikos offered a look of understanding. "Is this a _drink a lot_ problem or a _kill a lot_ problem?"

"I don't know. Neither, I think."

"Well, when you come up with a solution, let me know. We'll take care of it," he promised, standing and making his way to the cockpit.

With the rest of the couch now empty, Rei tugged one of the pillows towards her and sprawled out on her side. "We've already got plenty of power in the Empire," she reasoned, voice raised enough for Andronikos to hear, "how about infiltrating the Republic senate?"

She could barely make out his response as the engines hummed to life. "Nah. Senate moves too slow. You'd get bored. Gotta go straight for Supreme Chancellor."

"Ambitious. I like it." Rei smiled to herself, now feeling much more at ease with her decision. She had Andronikos, she had Talos, and when she returned to Kaas City, she'd have Zash; she'd be fine.

"So," she began, voice light, "how _would_ one infiltrate Coruscant?"

* * *

There were innumerable things that Cori wanted to say and do, but she didn't have the time or the words. Instead, she kissed Lana until they were both breathless, like they were the only ones in the galaxy that had ever mattered and ever would.

She didn't want to say goodbye.

She held her close, burying her face in Lana's hair rather than pulling away. When she left… that would be it. Lana had said it herself — once they left Yavin 4, they likely wouldn't see each other again. At least, not under the same circumstances.

"I'm going to miss you." Lana pulled away, just enough to cup Cori's cheek, her thumb tracing over the pale markings that lined her face.

Cori leaned into her touch, reaching up to cover Lana's hand with her own. "I'm… I'll miss you, too." It wasn't enough — she had _more_ to say, if she could only figure out _how_ to say it. "Lana, I—" She stopped, swallowed thickly, and started again. "I just wanted to be sure you know how much… what this has meant to me."

"You've become quite important to me." The edges of Lana's lips tugged up into a little smile, and she gave a slight, slow shake of her head. "My ridiculous Jedi."

Despite the aching in her chest, Cori found herself smiling as well. But she had things to do — they both did — and she needed to speak with Satele and gather her crew and leave for Coruscant; she didn't _want_ to, but if they didn't leave soon someone would come looking for her, and that was the absolute last thing Cori needed. So instead, she gathered her thoughts, placed one last, fleeting kiss to Lana's lips, and pulled away so they were only holding hands. "Satele's waiting on me."

Lana nodded. "Then go. We both have more important things to attend to, and…" She paused, then added, "And the Jedi will always be in need of someone like you."

After forcing out one final goodbye, Cori forced herself to leave, heading back for the main clearing. She found Satele waiting for her in what remained of the Republic side of camp. "Master Satele." She still felt like she was stumbling over her words; she cleared her throat, hoping to avoid any suspicion.

"Master Cori." She nodded in greeting. "I trust you're prepared to leave? The Sith have only given us a few more hours to be out of the Yavin system." When Cori nodded, Satele continued, "The Supreme Chancellor is… _upset_ by our actions, but I wanted you to know how proud the Jedi council is. You've done a commendable job, not just here but ever since the original attack on Korriban. In fact, the Council and I have been discussing your success."

Cori gave a respectful bow of her head. "I did as any Jedi would do."

"You've done far more than we ever could've expected. The Council wishes to offer the position to you formally when we return to Coruscant, but we've agreed that with your achievements and your experience in tracking down the Sith Emperor, we'd like you to take over as Battlemaster of the order."

"Battlemaster…?" Cori felt her eyes go wide. Ever since joining the Jedi, all she'd wanted was to serve the Order as best she could, and she'd thought that her mission to defeat the Emperor — despite its failure — had been that chance. But to be the _Battlemaster_ was a new opportunity entirely, one she didn't dare pass up. "Master Satele, I would be honored."

Satele offered a warm smile. "I'm sure the rest of the Council will be pleased to hear it. There are few other Jedi who uphold the tenants of the Jedi code like you do."

Cori bit at her lip; she'd hoped to confide in Satele about Lana — perhaps, not about _Lana_ , but a very vague approximation of her situation — but now wondered whether that was a good idea. Instead of saying anything, she gave another bow of her head and excused herself, mumbling something about preparing her crew.

She was halfway to her ship when she nearly ran into both Vette and Theron; Vette excused herself, but Theron took one look at Cori and offered a somewhat encouraging smile. "Lana left?" he guessed.

"Yeah." She tugged nervously at the edge of her robes. "So, it's back to Coruscant to check in with the Jedi Council. I hear you're back with the SIS?"

"Well, not officially, yet." Theron glanced off in the direction of the main camp.

"Is Nox…?"

"Gone? Yeah." He nodded, answering before Cori had even finished the question. "It's pretty much just Marr and Evris at this point."

Still fidgeting, Cori glanced off towards the direction of her ship. "I should probably head out, I guess. Call me if you find the Emperor?" she added in a half-hearted attempt at a joke.

Theron offered a similarly half-hearted smile. "You'll be the first one I contact."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _sooooooo_

 _first off apologies for 1) the super late update and 2) the shitty chapter. I feel like out of all the chapters to just give up and post, this one deserves it least. but ch 18 and 19 have been giving me issues for literal months now, so I just sorta... squashed them together and_ this _happened_

 _I've got basically no free time these days between work and school, but the interlude/ziost chapters were written a looong time ago and just need some rewriting/very very heavy editing. four are done and just need normal editing, and three others are in the process of rewriting. so_ hopefully _it won't be too long between chapters now_


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N:**_ _in which t'sereen breaks more rules, the sith (+zaara) have dinner, and satele tries that "bonding" thing with theron_

 _also, pining_

* * *

"No payment, no cube." Captain Sala casually tossed the holocron from hand to hand, either entirely unaware of the value of the artifact or entirely unfazed by it.

T'sereen squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, resisting the urge to simply lash out and _take_ the damn thing. "That agreement was for the relics taken from the Massassi village," she reasoned. "You stole _this_ from the main camp — those rules don't apply."

"No payment," she repeated, "no cube." With one last challenging look, she tossed the holocron to the man beside her. "C'mon, Corso, we'll find a buyer in the outer rim."

The very suggestion made T'sereen cringe. " _Wait_ — fine. Just give me the holocron, and Holiday can arrange payment."

Holiday's pink form flickered into view. "Oh, _wow_ , T'ser," she crooned. "I think that's the nicest holocron we've found yet."

"Don't go overboard — you know the rules." She turned to Corso. " _You_ , give me my holocron." T'sereen snatched the artifact away, leaving the captain with the promise of payment, and stalked back to her ship. The rest of the Republic forces were long gone, having left the Yavin moon the evening before. T'sereen had originally left with the rest of the fleet, but had returned at predetermined coordinates to meet with Captain Sala.

The artifacts they'd recovered so far were impressive, enough to keep Jedi scholars busy for _months_. Much of it was Massassi — and therefore irrelevant, in T'sereen's mind — but there was also a fair amount of old Sith texts and a handful of things she was certain belonged to, or at least were connected to, Revan herself.

As T'sereen entered the ship, she was immediately ambushed by Nadia. Her apprentice watched, wide-eyed, as T'sereen brought the holocron on board. "Patience," she cautioned. "You may help me study it — _later_."

To her surprise, it was Felix who protested. "That's the holocron I found with Darth Nox," he observed, voice cautious. "And I'm guessing she didn't just give it up."

"It was stolen," T'sereen informed him, "by a smuggler who wanted to sell it. I simply saved it."

She could tell he didn't believe her, but he didn't press. "Coruscant, then? I'm sure the Council will be interested in what you've _saved_." There was a tone to Felix's voice, one that suggested even if he wasn't asking questions at the moment, questions would be coming.

"We're not going to the Council," T'sereen said slowly, her words made hesitant by uncertainty about both her actions and Felix's possible reaction. He had, in the past, been supportive of her in regards to the Jedi and her fledgling political career, but what T'sereen was planning now had nothing to do with being a bit too brash or a bit too harsh; the Empire would no doubt come searching for the holocron — and if not the Sith in general, then Nox at the very least — and the Jedi would demand the artifact for _study_ as soon as she presented it.

They would need to meet with Satele, to report in on the aftermath of Yavin 4, and perhaps to fabricate some story to explain her absence while she studied the holocron, but after that? T'sereen was coming to realize she could no longer do her duty — to herself, to the people she loved, and to the Republic as a whole — and also follow the Jedi Code to the satisfaction of the High Council.

And she wasn't going to apologize for putting herself first for once, not after the Council had spent the past few years doubting her.

* * *

Rain pattered against the windows, accompanied by the quiet chatter of the restaurant and the soft music that played. Rei ran a finger lightly along her wine glass, eyes skimming across the other guests. She was trying not to squirm in her seat; it wasn't her first time at this particular restaurant, and she knew aliens rarely came to that part of the city anyway, but it still made her uncomfortable to be surrounded solely by humans.

"I see I'm not the only one who's late." Lana, dressed in simple charcoal robes, took the seat to the right of Rei, offering another apology as she sat. "Somehow, rebuilding Intelligence has been even more time consuming than I'd imagined."

"It sounds like you're managing, though," Rei pointed out. "Darth Zhorrid has had a _lot_ to say about you."

"Really?" Her brow furrowed in surprise. "Last time I spoke with her, she didn't seem particularly fond of me or the changes I've made."

"I never said they were _good_ things."

"Ah." Lana gave a light laugh, beginning to look through the menu. "How in the world did you even get us a table here? Any time I've tried, it's been booked _months_ in advance."

Rei shrugged, taking a slow sip of her wine before answering. "I know the head chef. She used to work at that Corellian restaurant — you know, the one just a few blocks over — and long story short, we had a disagreement with the owner so I told her I'd get her a job wherever else she wanted to work."

"Perks of being on the Dark Council, I assume?"

She gave a thoughtful _hmm_. _Perks_ was one way to put it; she didn't feel like going into detail at the moment, but that had been the same restaurant that had once tried to refuse her service on account of her being Rattataki. Much as she liked to pretend it did, her station didn't always erase all the prejudice against aliens — hence her current unease.

Rei was searching for a new topic of small talk when Zaara and Darth Evris arrived. Zaara was in uniform, but Evris wore an elegant scarlet gown and had her hair up in an elaborate updo. They joined with similar apologies for their tardiness, despite Rei's assurances that she didn't mind.

Their conversation at first was hardly stimulating, with no one quite willing to breach the topic of Yavin or their impending search for the former Emperor. Finally, after a few moments of somewhat awkward silence, Zaara cleared her throat. "So, Lana," she began, tone overly casual. "…I got a message from Cori the other day. She got a big promotion, apparently. She's being considered for the High Council itself." She fell silent for a moment, fingers tapping lightly along her glass. "She says _hi_."

Lana said nothing at first, staring down at her wine. She glanced up, her voice hopeful when she spoke. "Is it possible for you to get a message back to her?"

Zaara shrugged. "Depends. There's a lot of pressure on her right now, and it would be risky for both of us. I _could_ , but I'd rather not unless it's important."

"I understand." She paused. "Thank you, though. For telling me."

"So," Zaara changed the subject lightly, " _Minister_. What's on the agenda?"

Lana gave a breathy, nervous laugh. "You'll forgive me if I'm trying to _forget_ about work for the moment. I'm headed to Ziost in a few days to oversee the new headquarters for Sith Intelligence. I don't suppose you'd like to come? You've got an office there, you know."

"It's been two years — if no one's convinced me so far to accept the position of Commander, no one _will_." Light laughter spread around the table; as it faded, Zaara turned to Rei. "And you, Nox? Is Council business back to normal?"

"As _normal_ as Council business gets, yes." She glanced up first at the Wrath, then at Lana. "For now, at least. Once Intelligence is stable, the search for the Emperor will be in full swing."

"So take your time," Evris teased, the comment intended for Lana.

Lana, in turn, offered a wide-eyed expression of mock surprise. "Darth Evris, _not_ leaping at the chance to serve the Empire?"

She quieted their comments with a sweeping wave of her hand. "I can serve the Empire and still appreciate a bit of occasional peace and quiet," she assured them. "And it's not for my sake, not really. It's for Malavai's." Clearing her throat, Evris straighted her napkin almost compulsively, not taking her eyes from the thin fabric. "The timing is dreadful, I know, but we've been discussing starting a family."

Zaara and Lana offered congratulations, and Rei chimed in with a few token comments. She wasn't particularly close enough with the Wrath to really care, and besides, Evris had a point — the timing _was_ dreadful. But the conversation began to die down as their order arrived; Rei poked at her food, unsatisfied.

She missed Theron.

The thought came entirely unbidden — _certainly_ not as a result of the Wrath's discussion of her relationship, _absolutely_ not — but it left Rei feeling almost deflated. She frowned down at her plate, sipping at her wine rather than eating anything. It had barely been three weeks since they'd left Yavin 4, but it felt simultaneously like years ago and only moments ago.

As the other three settled back into an easy conversation about the future and the direction of the Empire, Rei found herself fidgeting, suddenly restless and uncomfortable. She _knew_ she had important work to do, things to take care of and responsibilities to tend to, but all she really wanted to do at that moment was to get in her ship with Andronikos, go wherever in the galaxy they pleased, and ignore everything that currently demanded her attention.

Rei _was_ fond of feeling important, and _did_ love her seat on the Dark Council, but too often found herself missing the simplicity of the first few months she had spent with Andronikos, working effortlessly together and thoughtlessly following Zash's every whim as long as it led to a good fight.

She'd been so _angry_ then, so mired in the dark side that she'd been too caught up in the blood lust to _enjoy_ her freedom. There was a clarity to it now, a sharp focus that the Force brought to her rather than a blind frenzy, but sometimes she still relished simply giving in and forgetting all the responsibility and duty that now distracted her.

The conversation at the table — now having drifted from baby names to a more sobering discussion about how the Empire as a whole had been affected by the past months — seemed to be evolving easily enough without Rei's input; she pulled out her datapad and typed up a quick message to Andronikos.

 _[Remember that problem I wasn't sure how to fix?]  
[I think there's a slaving ring on Nar Shaddaa that needs to be shut down.]_

Rei set the datapad down, folding her hands as she waited for the response. There was too much to do, too much she needed to take care of before heading back to Yavin 4, but _really_ , it couldn't hurt to take a few days to herself in Hutt space, could it?

 _[Just one?]_

That was exactly the encouragement she'd been looking for; Rei found herself barely holding back a grin as she received Andronikos' message. She could send Vrynn and Talos ahead to start their work on Yavin 4. As for Rei, she'd be heading out of Imperial space by that evening.

 _[To start. Then maybe some drinking. It's a complicated problem, after all.]_

* * *

"I have nothing else to say on the matter, Master Neiri." Satele folded her hands atop her desk, waiting patiently for T'sereen's response; she knew the twi'lek well enough by now to know that she wouldn't just _leave_ without further argument.

Perhaps she should've seen this coming, all those years ago when the Jedi brought T'sereen in from the Sith. There had been darkness in the apprentice's heart then, and Satele feared those instincts hadn't faded.

As expected, T'sereen didn't let the subject go. "Without my _condemnable actions_ , the Sith would know far more than we do. The artifacts I helped bring from Yavin 4 are going to be—"

"No one is disputing their value," Satele interrupted. It was a conversation they'd had time and time again, ever since T'sereen was a padawan. No one in the Order would question T'sereen's loyalty, or the quality of her results, but her _any means necessary_ approach had always been cause for concern. "But your methods leave—"

"My _methods_ were necessary."

Satele took a slow breath, attempting to calm her growing anger. "Even if we didn't take issue with the artifacts, the _entire_ Council has expressed concern over your suggestions involving the commandant of the Imperial Guard. The Jedi do _not_ condone torture, no matter _how_ dire the circumstances." This wasn't the discussion Satele had been _hoping_ to have today, but considering this was the first time since returning that T'sereen seemed willing to meet with her, it was worth bringing up.

Never before had Satele _truly_ doubted T'sereen or her dedication, not until she'd made her offer to assist with the interrogation. Some of the other Masters on the Council seemed almost vindicated, smugly satisfied at what they believed to be her greatest failure. Satele herself had been… disappointed, after giving T'sereen chance after chance to prove herself to the others only to fall short.

She could feel T'sereen's pride flair. "When I first came here, I thought the Jedi were weak for giving second chances — something that would never be tolerated among the Sith. I _tested_ you, to see how far I could go before I became more of a liability than an asset." T'sereen faltered, a hint of sadness creeping into her voice that was far easier to detect through the Force. "But in time I _tried_ , and you gave me a third chance, and a fourth."

"You were surrounded by darkness for so long. It was only natural to assume it would take time for you to fully understand and embrace the teachings of the Jedi."

"Exactly." T'sereen stood up rigidly straight, violet eyes suddenly as defiant as they had been on her first day in the temple. "I _tried_ , Master Satele. I tried to live up to the Code, and I failed. I refuse to give up what's best for myself, but neither will I continue to disappoint the Council." She softened again as she added, "Yuon taught me to listen as the Force guides us, and the Force has been guiding me away from the Jedi for some time."

It was to be expected, she supposed. Although, Satele had always thought T'sereen's departure would have been more… violent. The result of an outburst, or of the Council deciding she'd caused one too many casualties.

But this… T'sereen was right. She was at peace — there was no darkness or deception that Satele could sense, only an earnest, open woman trying to do what she believed was right. Satele envied her that, in a way. "If this is how it is to be…"

"It is." The determination returned, and Satele even didn't bother trying to stop T'sereen as she stormed out. The door slid open to let her pass, revealing a somewhat startled Theron, who looked as if he'd just arrived. He called after T'sereen as she swept through the hall, but she didn't even look back.

"I'm sorry, Theron," she offered as he entered. "I know the two of you were friends. She's made her choice."

He started to say a half dozen things, before simply asking, "What happened?"

"Several things," Satele answered honestly. "But it was her choice to leave — no one forced her to."

Theron looked prepared to argue, but evidently thought better of it, instead awkwardly holding out one of the caf cups he held. "Ran into Kira this morning," he explained. "She said you and Cori have been pretty busy lately."

 _Busy_ was an understatement. Between the continued war efforts, the effects of the Revanite infiltration, the Council's dwindling numbers, and Satele's attempts to help prepare Cori for her new position, she barely had time to _think_ , much less spend an uncomfortable half hour with Theron in the senate tower's lone, busy caf shop.

They were getting better at it, this whole _mother-son_ thing, and Satele was just glad that even after so many years she was getting the chance to mend what little relationship they had. She knew Jace had reached out to Theron, too; the two of them, she suspected, would have an easier time of things — not just because of circumstances, but also because of how eager Jace seemed about it all.

Which was good, all things considered. Satele was of the opinion that Theron could use a few more stabilizing influences in his life; it might not have necessarily been her place, but she had to wonder, with all the time he seemed to spend buried — alone — in his work, how many meaningful relationships he really had.

Bringing her to the next topic she wanted to avoid.

She hadn't brought up Darth Nox while they were on Yavin 4 — there were always too many people, too many things to do — but it wasn't a subject she could just _ignore_. Call it motherly concern, call it professional interest, call it _being nosy_ , Satele wanted to know the nature of their… _involvement_ , if only to offer a warning. While Satele could sympathize with the feeling of being forced apart from someone she cared for, this was different. Nox was _Sith_.

The Wrath had been polite, and Marr had at least been tolerant, but Nox had been entirely disrespectful from the moment she set foot on the moon. She was brash, and she was clever, and she had no problem twisting situations to her blatant advantage; Satele had no desire to see Theron used and manipulated to Nox's whims.

"We didn't get the chance to talk on Yavin," she began, one finger tracing the rim of her caf cup, "about Darth Nox."

Theron's expression immediately became more guarded. "She's back on Dromund Kaas, I'm back here on Coruscant, there's not really anything to talk about." His tone suggested that even if there _was_ , he wouldn't be willing to discuss it with Satele.

"The two of you were close," she pressed. "But Nox is Sith — she won't hesitate to use your feelings for her against you. Or against the entire Republic, for that matter." She could give him a lecture on the danger of such strong attachments — the lesson was a relevant one even for those outside the Order — but she knew he wouldn't listen.

" _Right_ ," he scoffed. "Look, it's not really your business, and I know you're busy anyway, so I should probably just get back to work. Or track down T'sereen. Or — _something_." Theron hesitated before turning to leave, guard dropping and expression softening a bit. "Besides, I'm sure you've heard the alliance is _over_. It's— everything's over."

Satele didn't believe for a minute that it was as said and done as he claimed.


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N:**_ _in which zaara goes to ziost, theron also goes to ziost, and rei gets a new apprentice_

 _fair warning, i've tried to make sense of the mess that is the ziost timeline, so it takes about three chapters for everyone to get there. as usual, I think bioware just... forgot that travel times exist. either that or everyone was secretly orbiting ziost the whole time._

 _I'm not unreasonably bitter about this_ I promise

* * *

"What'd I miss?" Zaara took the stairs two at a time, holocomm in one hand and datapad in the other, as she bounded down to where Vector, Raina, and Vette were already seated. They had already started watching that week's episode of _The Great Imperial Bake Off;_ Zaara took the last empty space on the couch and frowned as she noticed the absence of her favorite contestant. "My music teacher is gone," she pouted, curling up beside Vector.

Raina _shushed_ her, but Vette leaned forward and nodded. "Two episodes ago. Elimination by half-baked pie."

"That's a rough way to go."

"It is."

"We still prefer the twi'lek officer," Vector offered, taking Zaara's free hand in one of his own as she nestled against him.

Jaesa's light footsteps announced her arrival just before she chimed into the conversation. "I think she's a bit… frightening. It's probably the only reason she's still in — aliens _never_ make it this far." She plopped down on one of the free chairs beside the couch, tucking her legs up under her. "What's her name? Tessa?"

"Thessa," Raina corrected, following it up with another loud _shhh!_

The apartment descended into relative silence after that, the only sounds coming from the ever-present rain and Vette as she pulled apart one of her blasters. As much as Zaara simply wanted to enjoy the afternoon, she couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had haunted her for weeks now.

It was all tied up with the new _Sith Intelligence_. While she was glad that Intelligence was being officially re-formed and would have someone as reliable as Lana at the forefront, it had left Zaara with plenty of work to do during the restructuring and relocation of Intelligence headquarters. She was no longer part of Intelligence — hadn't been, ever since it had originally been disbanded nearly three years ago — but that didn't keep her from being heavily involved in its rebuilding over the past few months.

Lana was more than capable of handling it herself. Still, that didn't keep Zaara from _hovering_ — both literally and figuratively; when she wasn't directly overseeing things on Dromund Kaas or, more recently, Ziost, Zaara was in near-constant communication with either Lana or one of the few Sith and agents capable of getting her the information she needed.

Like she was now — monitoring the situation as closely as possible while still trying to enjoy the company.

She'd spent the better part of the past two weeks on Ziost, scrutinizing the new combat training that was being implemented, and there was no denying it was more streamlined and efficient with the changes Lana had made. Zaara had finally admitted there was little reason to stay and bother her — _unless you'd like to accept my offer to take up the position of Intelligence Commander_ , Lana had pressed — and had allowed Lys to drag her back to Kaas City.

The Wrath herself was nowhere to be found at the moment, having declared it _date night_ with Quinn; the pair had left earlier that evening, leaving their apartment to the group currently immersed in the _Bake Off_ show.

It had become a sort of tradition with the group of them, gathering once or twice a week and all piling in the Wrath's apartment for a relatively uneventful night in. It was _nice_ , a sort of quiet in the aftermath of Yavin that didn't seem to exist outside.

And still, Zaara was anxious.

She was contemplating leaving to find something more stimulating to occupy her mind — arguing with SCORPIO over the effectiveness of her ship's security protocols was usually a safe bet — when Pierce made his way down the stairs. He stopped behind the couch where Zaara sat, towering directly above her.

"Agent."

"Lieutenant."

"That terminal of yours up there is going off," he informed her, sounding more than a little irritated at the fact. "And where's Kaliyo? She owes me money."

"Thanks for telling me. As far as Kaliyo, I have no idea. And Pierce?" She reached up to give him a little pat on the cheek. "She owes _everyone_ money. You won't be seeing those credits."

Pierce simply grinned down at her. "I can get them back, don't worry."

They were met with another _Shh!_ from Raina.

Untangling herself from Vector, Zaara headed upstairs to her room; considering how obscenely _huge_ the apartment was — evidently, being human, Sith, _and_ the Wrath had its advantages — Zaara had long since claimed a single room upstairs as an office, so she no longer needed to work out of her ship while on Dromund Kaas.

She found a single message waiting for her. It was from Lana, but wasn't on her normal frequency or through Intelligence's, but one they'd used back on Rishi.

 _We need you back on Ziost — tonight. Sorry to cut your vacation short.  
—Lana_

* * *

 _Agent Ven paid us another visit yesterday evening. Not too unusual, on it's own, given that she's been overseeing Sith Intelligence rather closely — but Minister Beniko called for her, and they're keeping it quiet. Only a handful of us know she's even here. I can't say for certain, but I'd guess it has to do with the reports we received yesterday._

 _—RK_

Theron read the message for a third time before closing it, letting the datapad clatter onto the cafe table. He knew from Kovach's reports that Zaara was playing a far larger role in rebuilding Intelligence than he would've expected; it was both comforting and unnerving to have ties with the two women now in charge of Sith Intelligence. Kovach was right — Zaara's presence on Ziost wasn't at all unusual, but its secrecy _was_ , and it just reinforced his theory that the reports from the day before warranted investigating.

According to Kovach, a military outpost near the capital had lost contact with a patrol. When they returned nearly seven hours later, they were all _possessed_. Evidently, that was less of a cause for concern than it might have been elsewhere; with a planet as steeped in the dark side as Ziost was, and with all the history and culture buried on the planet, it wasn't odd for the occasional Force-insensitive to stumble on an old artifact and go mad.

But if Lana had reached out to Zaara — something was wrong.

Well, _more wrong_ than the Sith waving away a few possessions.

Theron was still mulling over the report — his caf long forgotten and going cold — when T'sereen finally arrived, sitting across from him with an impatient sigh. "Bureaucracy," she explained grimly.

He pushed the report aside; there were plans to be made, but — he hoped — they could wait for fifteen minutes. "That's right, I'd heard you were working directly with Saresh, now." Evidently, the former Barsen'thor's departure from the Jedi Order had proven quite lucrative for her political career, with various senators and ambassadors all vying for her attention and trying to take advantage of the allies she'd made while with the Jedi.

"Not quite," she sighed. "At the moment, it's just a list of requests she wants me to accomplish with my political connections. I'll find a way to take care of them, just in case I ever _do_ need her support. For now, I'm headed to Dantooine."

"Dantooine?"

"There's an old Jedi temple there — destroyed, but it may hold information I need to access that holocron I found."

 _Found_ was an interesting way of saying _stole from Nox and the Sith on Yavin_. Whatever secrets were hidden within the holocron, Theron did have to admit it couldn't hurt to have the Jedi access them, rather than the Sith — even if T'sereen wasn't _technically_ a Jedi anymore. "Still got your full crew?"

She shook her head. "Zenith's headed back to Balmorra and Qyzen has business to see to. Nadia…" T'sereen trailed off, frowning. "She wants to spend more time on Tython, but…"

She didn't want to go back after walking out on the Jedi. It was something she'd mentioned to Theron on more than one occasion, that her departure from the Order had been relatively peaceful and she didn't want to risk a confrontation. It wasn't really like T'sereen to avoid a fight — she hadn't ever been one to hesitate to stand up for anything she felt strongly about — but Theron assumed it had to do with her padawan, _Nadia_. T'sereen had practically taken her in as her own daughter; she'd realign the stars if Nadia asked.

"Have you asked Satele about it? Or maybe Master Cori?"

"No. Sort of." T'sereen sighed, her lekku twitching in discomfort. "The council wants Kira Carsen to take over Nadia's training. They haven't reached a decision yet, but I'm afraid that asking for permission to return to Tython will only reinforce their point — that a Jedi needs training and guidance from someone still within the Order."

Theron gave a sympathetic nod, searching for some other topic that would be somewhat less uncomfortable; everything had been about the SIS lately, diving headfirst back into work — which was only _partially_ an attempt to keep his mind off of Rei.

It was _mostly_ successful.

Even with as busy as his return to the SIS had kept him — it was nothing short of a whirlwind, really — he'd found himself searching through her files. Not _Darth Nox_ , of course, he'd been through those already and they began quite abruptly about three years ago, but _Reiyaxa_.

The information was sparse, but it was there — entrance into the Sith Academy on Korriban in 9 ATC, officially added to the Imperial Census as _Reiyaxa Kallig_ in early 12 ATC, responsible for several attacks on _Hoth_ , of all places.

Of course, actively searching through her files hadn't been the best way to keep from thinking about her.

"How's Felix?" Theron asked abruptly, intentionally cutting off his own line of thought.

"Good. Saying the same things you are." She rolled her eyes and clarified, "That I should talk to the Grandmaster."

Before Theron could respond, his datapad alerted him to a new message — from Kovach.

 _Three new reports of possessions in the last hour. It's spreading to New Adasta. Minister Beniko plans to contact the Dark Council. Agent Ven and I are investigating — unless we find the cause, it'll be an official state of emergency. Full report to follow.  
—RK_

"You should talk to her," Theron suggested as he stood. "Worst case, we'll get to have another chat about Satele's disappointment in us. I've got—"

"Work?" T'sereen finished for him, offering a look that was both exasperated and amused. "See, this is why I never let Felix invite you to dinner. How are you going to make it through an entire meal if you can't get through ten minutes and a cup of caf?"

"Next time the SIS fires me," he promised, "you can take me to the nicest place on Coruscant and I'll even stay for the full meal."

" _Next time_? That might be funny with anyone else, but with _you,_ you're just testing your luck."

* * *

"You've been busy." Rei didn't bother to hide how impressed she was, taking in the small campsite and inspecting Vrynn and Talos' discoveries.

Though Darth Praetis' assistance had come a bit late, Rei was thankful for the chance to get to the heart of the matter with regards to Revan's temple — or, _not_ Revan's temple — especially given her lengthy stay on Dromund Kaas. Whoever the temple belonged to, Rei was going to find out and get into the inner chamber.

The second objective being more important than the first.

The young mirialan apprentice gave a quick bow of her head, barely looking up from her datapad. "My lord, I think we may have a problem."

Rei frowned. "What is it?"

"The holocron you found with Lieutenant Iresso in the temple," Talos began, hesitating. "It's gone."

" _Gone?_ " Rei was certain that holocron was the key to discovering the truth behind the temple and it's connection to Revan's disappearance; the Jedi _knew_ already, of course, she wasn't sure how but they _knew_. They had no use for the holocron, and yet Rei knew that they were the ones who had taken it.

She had her holocomm out and connecting to Darth Zhorrid's frequency even as Vrynn and Talos attempted to explain the situation. There were others she could go to, of course, some of whom actually _worked_ for her; Zhorrid, however, was already busy tracking things down for Rei.

"Darth Nox." Zhorrid was frowning. "I made reservations. I thought I'd surprise you with dinner and a trip to the opera. Your Dashade tells me your already off-world again."

"I… yes. Why exactly did you make dinner reservations?"

"To celebrate. I do _love_ the chance to get all dressed up." Zhorrid folded her hands in her lap, pouting for a moment before she continued. "That Rakata business I sent my agents to look into — I have a name. _Eclipse Squad_. They were outfitted with the implants and sent to Belsavis with a science team to research the implants' effectiveness against prisoners there. I don't have names or current locations, though."

"Good. When you find them, I want their corpses delivered to Acina for study. Next time I'm on Dromund Kaas, I _promise_ I'll stick around long enough for a good celebration. For now, I have another favor to ask of you." Rei explained the general situation, leaving out several details but making certain to emphasize the importance of the holocron. Zhorrid did eventually agree to help, after Rei offered an artifact from the Reclamation vaults — and possibly suggested, very strongly, that in retrieving the holocron, Zhorrid could earn some respect from the rest of the Council.

Rei highly doubted that would happen, but Zhorrid's expression brightened immediately at the prospect. "Of course, Darth Nox. Just send me the details."

Once Rei had made sure Zhorrid was up to date, she collapsed against one of the low stone walls, resting her chin atop her folded arms. With the Revanites taken care of, it was business as usual at her Sphere, if a bit busy. As an added bonus, there were enough Reclamation Service teams on Yavin to justify Rei's continued absence from the Citadel.

There wasn't enough to _do_ on the Citadel, she'd discovered. It was a lot of paperwork and meetings and following up on her teams' progress — standard stuff, work she'd long been used to managing. But in the time she'd been back — just over a month since the Republic forces had left Yavin — Rei had found herself with far too much time to _think_.

Here, however, her thoughts were nearly immediately interrupted by Vrynn.

"My lord, Darth— Uh, Lord Nox," the apprentice began, the steely concentration she'd had while studying now gone. "I've spoken with Talos, and I thought I might perhaps make a request?"

"Did you?"

"Yes." She gave a dutiful bob of her head, but said nothing else until Rei raised her brow expectantly. "Oh, um… My training, on Korriban — my trials — it was interrupted by the attack by the Republic earlier this year. Darth Praetis, she's my aunt, and she was going to continue my training but she's…" Vrynn paused, tugging absentmindedly on a lock of her blonde hair, "She's awfully busy most of the time, and I don't _officially_ have a master at the moment, and I thought, maybe…" She trailed off again.

Rei was silent for a moment, brow furrowing as she realized what Vrynn was requesting. "You want _me_ to continue your training?"

"Or not, if it's inconvenient?"

While Rei didn't have anything _against_ it — after all, she _did_ only have two apprentices, where other Sith had dozens — she couldn't help but wonder if there would be repercussions with Praetis. "I'll speak with Praetis. If she has no objections, I'll consider it." Glancing back towards where they'd already set up a camp, Rei added, "Consider our work here your trials."

* * *

The halls of the new Intelligence headquarters were almost eerily empty. Zaara's footsteps echoed down the long, sterile hallways and the quiet beeping of her earpiece seemed unnaturally loud in comparison.

"Watcher Three?"

"I've gone through the security footage the Minister requested," he answered. "We can't find the source or the original possessions, but we did locate the captain at the first outpost to report them. Minister Beniko and Agent Kovach are on holocall with her now."

"The Minister's office?" Zaara turned sharply, heading instead to Lana's office rather than her own.

"Yes."

"I'm on my way. Have someone contact Raina Temple," she ordered, "and tell her to ready the crew." After receiving confirmation from Watcher Three, Zaara switched off her earpiece and slipped into Lana's office. As expected, the main holoterminal displayed the image of a woman in well-worn armor. Her dark skin was flushed, and sweat dripped across her brow.

She was explaining something about patrol routes, and paused as she ran a hand through her already-tousled hair. "It's not just the soldiers anymore," she clarified, her voice thickly accented. "It's civilians now, too. We've rounded them up in some storehouses on the outskirts of the city for now, but they're _dangerous_ , sir. If it gets much worse, we won't be able to keep from firing on them."

"Understood. We'll be in touch, Captain." Lana cut the line and turned to Zaara, letting out a long sigh. "You're here, good. I'm sending you and Kovach to New Adasta to investigate personally. The reports we've received so far are… incomplete. I'm meeting with the council in a few hours and need something solid to present to them."

Zaara nodded. "You have a theory?"

"I… do," she offered hesitantly, glancing from Zaara to Kovach and back. "But it's… Like I said, I need something solid."

"Are we at risk?" Zaara knew her cognitive programming — or lack thereof — protected her from various forms of coercion and mind control, but wasn't particularly interested in testing it against whatever force was brainwashing people by the dozens.

Lana hesitated again, but her expression hardened as she answered. "It's likely everyone on this planet is at risk. You both have training, you should be fine. I'm counting on you."

It wasn't a particularly comforting answer, but the best Zaara figured she'd get considering the circumstances. "Of course. I'll send Raina and Vector down here to assist. Lokin will come with me." Best to leave Kaliyo and SCORPIO with the ship, she assumed — at least until they knew more. Zaara turned to Kovach. "Agent?"

He gave a curt nod. "Ready whenever you are."

As they made their way back through the headquarters, Zaara made arrangements with the rest of her team. Once she finished, she turned her attention to Kovach. She didn't know him all that well, despite his constant presence at Lana's side over the past few weeks; best she could tell, he had an eye for detail and a fondness for quiet office jobs.

Wading out into the thick of this possession madness would prove interesting.

"We're meeting that woman on the holo?" Zaara confirmed as they descended down to the first floor. "Who is she?"

"Captain Adina Kartier, recently reassigned from the front lines due to a possible connection between her and Darth Arkous. It's since been proven that she hadn't had any contact with the Revanites, but she still remains in charge of a small outpost just within the capital." Kovach spoke quickly and precisely, as if reciting from a list. Zaara was almost impressed, but given his implant, Kovach _might_ have actually been reading off a list.

"And her involvement in all of… this?" She paused as they waited for the doors to the shuttle hanger to slide open.

"She was the first to report the possessions. This is the first time we've been able to contact her since."

"Good." As Zaara stepped into one of the shuttles, she clenched her teeth, biting down hard to keep from saying anything further. It was too much, she supposed, to ever hope that the Sith would _stop_ being the source of her constant headache.


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N:**_ _in which i take liberties with new adasta, lys takes liberties with the dark side, and davri takes liberties with basically everything_

 _also ft. davri's mom bc she is actually The Best_

 _my editing is getting more and more hand-wavey as we go since I'm so short on time so apologies for that. also I'll probably end up posting 22 early next week bc I actually have a free day for once so_

* * *

Despite all the time she'd already spent on Ziost, Zaara had only actually made it into the capital a few times.

There had been a formal dinner the night before the headquarters were officially opened, dutifully organized by Lana for the top advisors and agents and Darth Zhorrid. Then there was the play she'd attended with Vector — suggested by Lokin, of course — and the surprisingly delightful comedy club she'd dragged them both to in return.

New Adasta had been a brilliant mix of sleek Imperial influence and the vibrant, thriving culture that existed just beneath it. Zaara had a difficult time picturing herself settling down anywhere, but if she ever _did_ , it would've been Ziost.

But the city she was walking through now wasn't a lively cultural center.

The area they'd landed in was mostly empty, the streets filled with rubble and ash and enough bodies to unsettle even Zaara. _Quarantine_ , they'd called it, blockading parts of the city to isolate as much of the affected population as possible. From the looks of it, they'd just created a larger problem.

"Kovach, where's that captain we're supposed to meet?" She turned to face the agent, waiting as he stared down at his datapad.

"Sorry, Agent Ven," he apologized, tapping at the implant that wrapped around the back of his head in explanation. "Emergency broadcast," he reported. "Mandatory curfew, effective immediately, with orderly evacuations to follow."

"Evacuations?" Zaara echoed. "Where to? And how? We don't even have the forces necessary to get that many people off-planet, and even if we _did_ — what? We drop the entire population of a planet on Dromund Kaas?"

Kovach grimaced, tucking the datapad away and leading Zaara further into the capital. "I don't believe this is a situation where logistics takes precedence. We can save the people first, _then_ worry about what to do with them."

She shook her head; _someone_ needed to be asking these questions, even if there weren't yet answers. "Our mission isn't to save _anyone_ , Kovach, it's to stop whatever these possessions are. If every last person on this planet has to die for that to happen, then we let them." Of course, that was hardly the optimal solution — Zaara wouldn't ever willingly let that happen, but they had to be prepared for every outcome. Kovach, as far as she could tell, was thoroughly unsettled by the possibility of being unable to save everyone, and Zaara needed him _focused_.

Kovach was remarkably _hesitant_ for such a high-ranking agent. She'd have to talk to Lana about that.

However, he didn't argue, merely pressing his lips into a frown and leading Zaara over to a building adorned with a pair of Imperial banners. "The armory. The captain and her men retreated here once the quarantine went into effect."

When they entered, they found only the captain from the holo, seated and clutching at her rifle. She barely looked up as they approached her.

"Captain?" Zaara prompted, glancing around at the half dozen corpses.

"Agents." She stood slowly, eyes wide as they flicked erratically between Zaara and Kovach. She remained tense, not relinquishing the grip on her rifle. "Captain Adina Kartier. My men, they… I had to. I killed them. It was— _he_ was in my mind."

Immediately, Zaara reached for a blaster; she hadn't seen the possessions up close — only over holo and in reports — but the captain seemed lucid, if a bit dazed. "You were possessed?"

"No. He tried," she clarified, "but I've got training. Mind tricks, meant to use against Jedi. He wanted me to kill them, but I wouldn't and he turned them against me and I killed them anyway."

All things considered, that was a significant turn in their luck. They now had a better grasp of the source of the possessions — an incredibly powerful Sith, it seemed — _and_ they knew it could be resisted. The average civilian wouldn't have a chance of holding off the influence, but as the captain had said, there were soldiers who'd been trained to fight Jedi — standard training for field agents in Intelligence.

Still, it was a start, and much more than they had a few moments ago.

"Captain, we need to report in to Minister Beniko, and I need you to explain to her about the possessions. After that, we can either call a shuttle for you," Zaara offered, "or you can help us check in with the other outposts."

Kartier blinked, glancing between Zaara and Kovach before nodding. "I'll help. I can help. I just— I just need to get out of here for a bit."

* * *

"You're both holding back."

Lys stalked along the edges of the training room, the hum of the apprentices' training sabers the only sound besides her footsteps. Hands clasped behind her back, she kept her eyes trained on both Ashara and Jaesa, watching as they prepared for another attack.

Jaesa had long surpassed anything Lys could teach, but her skills were proving a perfect match for Ashara. Lys had taken to training with the togruta, ever since they'd spent mornings sparring together months ago on Yavin 4. Darth Nox had, of course, protested at first, but had since practically told Lys to take over Ashara's training altogether.

They were a good fit, even without the obvious advantage that their similar combat styles afforded them. Ashara also provided balance to Jaesa's training; with Jaesa, Lys tended to focus on meditation and quiet conversation, but Ashara was far more eager to prove herself through combat.

With that, at least, Ashara was incredibly talented and Nox's teachings had clearly been valuable. Her proficiency with the Force, however, was lacking, but between Lys' and Jaesa's assistance she was improving. Ashara's understanding of the Sith code and its values were… underwhelming. Nox, to no one's surprise, had been more interested in turning the former Jedi to the dark side and assuring her allegiance than she was actually _training_ her. But Lys had learned long ago with Jaesa that it was far more valuable to simply let her apprentice grow, to utilize both Jedi and Sith teachings to allow her to find her own place within the Empire.

So far, that approach was proving successful with Ashara as well.

Today, though, she seemed distracted. Ashara hesitated, eyes locked with Jaesa and lips pressed into a thin frown of concentration; she took a step backwards, the dull ocher of her training sabers flaring momentarily as she readjusted her grip.

She easily avoided each of Jaesa's attacks, blocking some and stepping out of the way of others, but making few attempts to follow up with strikes of her own. As their sparring came to a lull, Lys spoke up again.

"Hesitation will not serve you well in battle, apprentice."

Lys had expected a reaction from Ashara — a flare of pride, at the very least — but there was nothing, and instead of attacking she motioned for a break. "Sorry, Master, I'm… distracted," she apologized, the disappointment clear in her voice.

"Is everything alright? You've done well lately," Lys pointed out, unable to keep a tinge of pride from creeping into her voice. "Perhaps you just need a break for the day."

"I… I think that might help." Ashara paused again, staring for a moment out the windows over the sprawling, rainy city. "Darth Nox took a third apprentice," she explained as she placed the training saber back on the rack against the wall, the words abrupt and uncertain. "She barely has time to train both me and Xalek, and… I guess I was finally starting to figure out where my place was with her."

"Then perhaps your place is not with her." It was the first time Ashara had ever referred to herself as one of Nox's apprentices, and Lys hadn't missed the confusion — well-hidden, but still present — beneath her words. Ashara was neither Jedi nor Sith, and Lys was certain she could help her discover the role she would play within the Empire.

As lost as she was in her own thoughts, Lys nearly didn't notice when Quinn slipped into the training room to stand beside her. "Priority holocall, my lord," he informed her quietly. "Upstairs, from both Darth Marr and Minister Beniko. Agent Ven has also reached out to you. I don't know the exact nature, but it seems there's a situation on the planet Ziost."

* * *

"I _promise_ , Mom, it wasn't my choice." Leaving her holocomm where it sat on the counter, Davri stood to pour herself another cup of caf. Over the holo, her mother planted her hands on her hips and frowned as Davri moved out of sight. "I'd rather not have to deal with this senate hearing at all, but I have to be there, and that just doesn't leave enough time for us to get all the way to Alderaan and back in time."

"I keep telling you — if you just stayed out of trouble, you wouldn't be under investigation all the time."

Davri grimaced as she sat back down, setting her cup to the side. "But getting _into_ trouble has done me so much good."

"You getting into trouble hasn't done a bit of good for anyone," Aric countered as he made his way into the kitchen, far more alert than Davri but still heading straight for the pot of caf. "Hi, Kida."

"See?" Kida raised an eyebrow, giving Davri her best _told you so_ look. "Listen to your husband. How have you been, Aric? Davri, ask him how he's been."

"He's fine. Here — Mom, he's still here." Davri swiveled the holocomm to face Aric, leaving the two to their conversation and taking the opportunity to duck out of the kitchen. Caf in hand, she made her way into the bedroom to finish getting ready for the day.

Not that there was much to get ready for; with the ongoing investigation into Garza and Eclipse Squad — and Havoc's role in it all — Davri and the rest of the squad were stuck on Coruscant for the foreseeable future. The risk she'd taken in having Agent Ven add the names of Eclipse into the Revanite files didn't seem to be paying off — yet. Given the exhaustive size of the list of traitors throughout the Republic, only one member of Eclipse had been revealed as a Revanite so far; one wasn't surprising, two might be written off as coincidence, but Davri suspected that once a third member of Eclipse was uncovered, the investigation would take a different turn.

So far, it was just a long, drawn out process that had effectively removed Havoc Squad from the war and would undoubtedly end with Garza's removal as well.

Kida had been so enthusiastically looking forward to Life Day that year — mostly because it would be the first year since Davri and Aric had married that they'd be spending it with her and Davri's stepfather on Alderaan — but instead Davri would be forced to watch the end of the career of one of the most respected women in the Republic military.

Her own reputation would likely be affected, but Davri almost didn't care; serving the Republic was far more important to her than whatever their _opinions_ of her were.

Which, as Kida liked to put it, had a tendency to _get her in trouble_. At least she seemed to understand Davri's frustrations.

Not that it would matter for long, anyway; if this whole ordeal didn't end with Davri being kicked out of the military, she'd be taking a long look at retirement. She had a promising future as a vid star, she was certain — likely in a low-budget holodrama, its success dependent solely on her fame.

It would be nice, she considered as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail, to end up on one of those talk shows Kida loved so much — and for a _good_ reason, not something that caused her to send a half-dozen alarmed messages to both her and Aric.

That had been the best thing about Havoc's quieter ops, back when Davri had first joined — it was that much easier to lie to Kida to keep her from worrying.

She was pulled out of her thoughts as her second holocomm — the one she used solely for military business — chimed; she gritted her teeth as she reached for it, assuming it had to do with the trial. Davri stifled her surprise as the Supreme Chancellor's image flickered to life in front of her. "Saresh."

"Major Sohms." Saresh paused as she inspected Davri; she was always _looking_ , always scrutinizing. "I understand your current… _responsibilities_ have you on Coruscant for the time being."

"That's correct."

"I'll get straight to business, then. We've very recently learned of a prime opportunity to front a crippling offensive against the Empire, and I'm personally requesting that Havoc Squad lead the initial attack." Before Davri could argue, Saresh pointed out, "The situation with General Garza can be handled without you, but the presence of you and your squad here could be the key to victory."

She didn't trust Saresh, and Davri wasn't certain she really _wanted_ to take part in whatever victory the Supreme Chancellor foresaw. While Davri could appreciate Saresh's willingness to take risks, she _didn't_ appreciate the fact that most of those risks were unnecessary and cost far too much. "Look, Chancellor, we can't just leave. I'd—"

"Then allow me to clarify, Major," Saresh interrupted. "By _request_ , I mean I'm ordering Havoc Squad to take part in this offensive. The remaining relevant information will be forwarded to you, and you will meet at the established rendezvous point."

"Yeah, sure, we'll be there." Davri ended the call, letting out a slow, frustrated sigh.

Aric appeared in the doorway, frowning. "What was that about?"

"Saresh is ordering us around." Reaching for her datapad, Davri pulled up the information Saresh had sent, scrolling through the reports. "Some golden opportunity to strike at the Empire."

He said nothing for a moment, clearly sharing Davri's hesitation at whatever Saresh was planning. "Good," he offered slowly. "It's past time that Havoc got back in the fight."

Normally, Davri would've agreed, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that there was something _off_ about the whole situation. "She's sending us to Ziost, apparently. The capital city is our main target."

"Why?" Aric crossed his arms, eyes narrowing. "What makes it so valuable?"

"I don't know. This doesn't—" She cut off sharply, shaking her head as she found the part of the report she'd been searching for. "Says here Saresh has had an agent on Ziost for a few months now, and there's some sort of… civil uprising?"

"If civilians are our target—"

"Then _Aric the Moral Compass_ would keep me from agreeing to the mission," Davri interrupted lightly. She wasn't typically too concerned about civilian casualties, but targeting them _directly_ was too much even for her. "The Republic's just there to take advantage of the chaos. Saresh wants Havoc to go after the— Oh, this'll be fun."

Lips pressed into a thin line and expression one of suspicion, Aric reached over and gently tugged the datapad from Davri. "The new Sith Intelligence headquarters. With blueprints and security codes— Wait, is Saresh actually making decisions that make sense?"

"It's not _reckless_ enough for her. We're going to get there and find out Ziost's one giant _swamp_ or in the headquarters they're always playing one of those really catchy pop songs you can't ever get out of your head."

* * *

"Hey."

Cori glanced up as Kira flopped down on the couch beside her. "Hey, yourself. I take it Doc finally gave you the all-clear?" she asked, setting her tea and datapad down.

"Nah, I got out of the medbay a while ago. Rusk is still down there, I think." She shrugged, then looked up at Cori expectantly. "I… Master Satele called. Actually, the whole council sorta called."

"And?" It didn't come as any surprise; they'd been sent by the council to assist with a mission on Brentaal — hence Kira and Rusk's extended stays in the medbay — and though Cori would be reporting to the council in person, a holocall wasn't exactly unexpected. That they turned to _Kira_ first _was_ unexpected.

Kira fidgeted, glancing away before finally confiding in Cori. "They think it's time for me to take a padawan."

"Congratulations," Cori beamed. "For what it's worth, I think you're more than ready. You'll do great."

"Thanks. And yeah, I think I'm ready, too." The statement wasn't meant to brag or boast, but seemed to be Kira's way of trying to convince herself. "It's just… You know Master Neiri?"

"The Barsen'thor. What about her?"

"She left the Order."

Cori's surprise at the news overshadowed her confusion at how Master Neiri was connected to Kira training a padawan. " _Left_?"

"Yeah. Just… walked right out." Kira shrugged. "Problem is, she still wants her padawan to be trained as a Jedi, and the council doesn't think that's possible unless she's being trained _by_ a Jedi." She trailed off, staring down at the floor for a moment before turning back to Cori. "They think we'd be a good fit. We're both _spirited_ , according to Master Satele. And you'll be here to oversee everything, you know, keep the _spirit_ levels down."

Taking a few seconds to temper her pride, Cori gave Kira a warm smile. "Keep you from having too much fun, you mean. But yes, I'll be there every step of the way, I promise." She took one of Kira's hands in her own, giving it a soft squeeze. "You've come so far, Kira, and I know you'll be a wonderful teacher." She was, without a doubt, more proud of Kira than she ever had been of anyone or even any of her own achievements.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll make me blush," Kira teased, though pink already colored her cheeks. "Besides, it's not—"

She was cut off by the holoterminal crackling to life, indicating an emergency transmission. Eyes going wide and praise forgotten, Cori took the call and waited, standing patiently in front of the holoterminal as the image slowly flickered to life. " _Theron_?"

He looked up, relief clear on his face. " _Finally_. I've been trying to reach T'sereen," Theron muttered, "but no luck. Listen — I'm in Imperial space, trying to reach a ground team I've got on Ziost. I need—"

" _Ziost_?" Kira interrupted, brow furrowing in surprise. "Look, Cori's sweet on a Sith, too, but you don't see _us_ invading Imperial planets."

"Kira," Cori warned quietly, hoping to keep her from making any further remarks. "Theron, what do you need?"

He gave a short, sharp laugh at that. "I _need_ to get my team out of there. I'm sending clearance codes, coordinates, everything you'll—" Theron paused suddenly, looking up at Cori. "Tell me you're not in the middle of a mission, or on the other side of the galaxy or anything."

Kira crossed her arms and gave a tight-lipped grin. "Nope. Looks like _one_ thing's going your way today."

"Theron, _what's_ going on?"

He didn't answer immediately; it was difficult for Cori to tell over the holo whether he was hesitating or concentrating. "I've been keeping tabs on Sith Intelligence. They started getting reports about a week ago — mass possessions, skirmishes between soldiers and civilians, all sorts of nasty stuff. Our friend Lana didn't seem too concerned, but I sent a team in just in case, and now… I think it's the emperor."

For a moment, it was as if a weight had settled on her chest; Cori wasn't prepared to face the emperor, not again, not _so soon_. But it wasn't like she really had a choice. "The emperor… You're certain?"

"Certain? No. But the Imperials have called in reinforcements, in the form of the Wrath and a representative from the Dark Council. That, and I lost contact with my team before they even landed, and they…" Theron grimaced. "Let's just say that if this were anything else, they'd be able to resist it."

"Okay." Cori took a deep, steadying breath. "We're on our way. What do you need us to do?"

"Nothing, yet. I should be able to slip in, see if I can meet with an… inside source I've got in Intelligence. Hopefully we can track down my team and figure out just how bad things are." He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "If it is the emperor…"

"We'll be there," Cori promised.

Theron nodded. "Good. I'll be in touch."

As the transmission ended, Kira placed a hand on Cori's shoulder and offered a warm smile. "Hey, don't worry, Boss. At this point, you and me have plenty of practice going up against the emperor. And if we're lucky, you may even get to see _our friend Lana_."

"Maybe. We should call the council, tell them we'll be delayed."


	22. Chapter 22

_**A/N:** in which rei goes to ziost, cori also goes to ziost, and vitiate does the equivalent of ~I'm not touching you~ with their minds_

 _at this point I'm estimating that at least 70% of this fic only exists bc I have insomnia. ch 23 is almost ready to be posted, but I may wait until I have a bit more done since after that is just a bunch of half-written chapters that still need lots of work._

* * *

"Rei. _Rei_. Hey, c'mon, Sith, wake up."

Rei cracked a single eye open, attempting to glare at Andronikos. "Go away," she commanded, voice groggy.

"I would, but me and Talos have Lana, Ashara, and half the Council bothering us because they can't get a hold of _you_." He crossed his arms, expression darkening though his tone was still light and amused. "Waking up to Darth Marr asking _'Where's Nox_ ' is certainly one way to start your day."

Pushing herself up so she was sitting, Rei rubbed at her eyes and tried to stifle a yawn. "What did he want?"

"Emergency council meeting or something. Zash told them to wait until you called in."

Keeping the Council waiting, especially when it was an emergency, wasn't a particularly good idea. She debated changing — Rei assumed showing up in only a crumpled navy blue _Join the Republic Military!_ shirt she'd stolen while on Corellia wasn't exactly _proper_ — but instead decided it was too early to be _quite_ so dutiful, and climbed out of bed and headed straight for the room she'd set the holoterminal up in. Luckily, she'd been on Yavin 4 long enough that she'd already had to call in to a Council meeting. "Caf?" she called as she waited for the frequency to connect.

"Already on it." Andronikos walked in a moment later, handing a mug of iced caf to Rei. "Do you think—" He cut off abruptly as the call connected, slipping out of the room with the promise that Rei wouldn't be bothered on account of everyone else going back to sleep.

On the display, the seven other council members turned to look at Rei, earning her several disapproving looks. Lana's image was projected beside them; she stood with her hands clasped behind her back, lips pressed into a thin line. "Apologies," Rei offered tiredly, more out of formality than anything. "I'm told it's urgent?"

"Ziost has declared an official state of emergency," Darth Marr explained. "The headquarters for Sith Intelligence are compromised. The reports Minister Beniko has forwarded are… troubling."

"Reports. Right. One moment." Rei shuffled out of the room, searching for her datapad. The Yavin temple — not Revan's but the Jedi Exile's, she now knew — had proven to be decent shelter and was certainly far better than setting up tents in the jungle. But tents, at least, were small enough to keep things from getting lost.

She finally found the datapad on her bed — where she'd left it a few hours before after falling asleep reading another of those dreadful Republic novels she loved — and plodded back to the other room, scrolling through the report as she sat down.

Ravage and Zhorrid were debating the possibility of evacuation, throwing around facts and figures and claims almost faster than Rei could keep up with. They were silenced first by Marr, then Lana. "Respectfully, my lords," the Minister began, "evacuations are still purely theoretical at this point. We don't have ships available, and even if we did, we've nowhere to _take_ them. We don't even know how far his influence can reach. At the moment, I believe our focus has to be on stopping it."

"We'll send ships," Marr countered. "And the matter of refugees can be dealt with after Ziost is handled. Have you found a way to stop the possessions _without_ killing them?"

Rei interrupted before Lana could answer, a point in the report catching her eye. "You think it's _Vitiate_?" The notes detailed the growing concerns Lana had, but nothing Rei could find was strong enough to support such a bold claim.

"As of a few hours ago, I'm certain of it," Lana informed her with a self-assured nod. "As he's grown stronger, his presence has become unmistakable. And, he's been trying to get inside my mind for the past several hours."

" _Grown stronger_?" Mortis echoed, his holoimage frowning down at his own datapad. "You're strengthening him by killing those he's possessed."

The darkness within the Force on Yavin was suddenly suffocating; Rei shivered, holding back a grimace. "We stopped him here on Yavin 4, so he's turned to a planet with a larger population."

Marr nodded slowly. "Until we can find a way to stop Vitiate, evacuation is our top priority. I've already sent the Wrath to investigate, but the Council should have at least one representative on Ziost — to command obedience, if nothing else. Without complete cooperation, we may lose the entire planet, and the Empire _will not_ suffer anymore at Vitiate's hands."

"I'll go," Rei offered, partly because she knew it wasn't likely that anyone else would volunteer, and partly because she was the obvious choice; none of the others had worked so closely with Minister Beniko or the Wrath, and her Sphere wouldn't be as critical to evacuations as Marr or Mortis or some of the others. "I can leave for Ziost within the hour. The Dashade who serves as my advisor — she's in charge of things while I'm gone, so go to her if you need anything from me. I'll hold to whatever decisions the Council makes, but I believe it would be better for me to simply leave now rather than stay."

"Agreed. Focus on stopping the possessions, and we'll determine the best way to proceed with evacuations. Report in when you land."

Rei cut the line, rubbing at her eyes as she mulled over the situation. Mass possessions, civilian uprisings, the return of the former emperor — and no way to stop it all. She was glad, at least, that she wasn't in Kaas City; the Citadel had likely fallen into chaos, or would soon if it hadn't already.

Possession wasn't a concern for Rei. After dealing with a few _loud_ Sith ghosts in her mind for nearly three years, she'd become rather adept at closing off her mind to the influence of others. Still, she wondered about her crew; Talos, she suspected, had _some_ sort of training — the Force-blind couldn't survive long unearthing Sith artifacts for a living unless they'd learned to resist possession. Andronikos, she was less certain about. Vrynn, however, could use a test of her abilities against possessions.

Of course, having to resist _Vitiate_ wasn't much of a fair challenge for an apprentice.

Then again, _fairness_ wasn't exactly a tenant of the Sith code, either.

* * *

"We've already lost that section of the city. It would be better to form a blockade here—" Zaara pointed to a section of the map where a collapsed building was, "—and keep them from getting any further in. If we lose that guard tower, we may as well give up the entire southern edge of New Adasta."

Captain Kartier shook her head. "Too risky. Eight of the twelve soldiers we sent in to bolster that tower's forces were possessed."

Over the holo, Lana frowned. "We may not have a choice, Captain. Until we can determine how to stop— yes, yes I'll only be a moment — how to stop Vitiate, we have to focus on containing the issue and evacuating anyone not possessed." She glanced back at whoever was vying for her attention. "I'm sorry. I have to go. It's your decision, Zaara."

As the holocom fizzled off, Zaara crossed her arms and stared hard at the map, willing it to give her answers that were within their limited realm of possibility. Around her, their makeshift base of operations — the top floor of a hospital deep within New Adasta — had fallen silent, waiting for further direction.

This had been her reality for the past twenty four hours — a few dozen ragged soldiers, a couple of field medics, dwindling supplies, and right past their blockaded door was a living hell, with no solution in sight.

"When Darth Nox arrives," Raina spoke up, "she could probably hold that tower by herself. Or with minimal support, at least."

Zaara glanced over at the Ensign — hair tousled, uniform stained with ash and blood — and sighed. "Nox isn't here to help, she's here to act as Council oversight. She'd cut down anyone possessed. It's best if she stays up at the Intelligence headquarters."

Kartier, palms flat on the holoterminal and glaring intently down at the display, frowned. "Speaking of the headquarters, just how big _are_ they? We've sent thousands of people out of the capital already."

She nodded towards her datapad. "Vette and Vector are keeping me updated. There's still plenty of room — shuttles are taking people up to the Orbital Defense Station so groups are ready when ships arrive to get them off-planet. I don't care if we've got people lining up around the headquarters building — it's better than having them stay here."

"Right." Standing up straight, Kartier let out a slow breath and ran a hand through her hair. She pointed to a highlighted section on the holodisplay. "The southeast section of the residential district. No one's checked in over that way, but that's where most of the private shuttle pads are, so there's a good chance a lot of people already got out."

"I'll send someone over." On her comm line, Zaara added, "Kaliyo, Kovach — what's your location?"

There was silence, then a burst of sound as blaster fire and yells and falling rubble came through on her earpiece; Kaliyo's voice was barely audible as she spoke. " _You picked a really fucking bad time, Z_."

"What's going on?"

" _We've lost the eastern side of the city_ ," Kovach reported a moment later, breathing heavily. " _There's Jedi —_ mad _Jedi — all over. There must be at least a half dozen in the streets below us_."

That was the first time Zaara felt it — something between fear and panic and surrender — begin to crawl through her veins. " _Mad_ as in possessed?"

" _Some of them, yes. But the others, they… they aren't like any Jedi I've ever encountered_."

She cursed under her breath, her voice shaky. They were barely holding their position with only the possessed soldiers and civilians to worry about; adding _Jedi_ to the mix would make it impossible. "We'll send an evac," Zaara decided, words weary. "Pull back and meet us at the Intelligence Headquarters. Let's get our soldiers out of the capital and regroup, and we can go over our options once we're all back at the base."

Kartier's glare hardened. " _Pull back_?" she echoed. "The Dark Council is sending us a Sith, and you want to pull back because of a few Jedi?"

"Civilians with half-functional blasters drove us back this far," Zaara snapped in return. "What do you think a _single Jedi_ can do once they've been possessed by the Emperor? Besides," she added slowly, forcing herself to calm her tone, "you haven't met Nox. She isn't exactly known for following orders."

Giving no immediate answer, Kartier held Zaara's glare in silence; when she did answer, her voice was quiet. "Fine. You get as many of our people out alive as you can. I'll head further downtown, see if I can get in a better position to monitor the city."

"Sorry, Captain, but—"

Zaara's protest cut off abruptly as Kartier shook her head. "I won't go getting myself killed, Agent. I get it — you've got to keep your people safe. Thing is, _my_ people are all dead, so I'm not leaving."

They shared a quiet look of understanding, and Zaara nodded. "Keep in touch. We can't spare an evacuation if you need pulled out."

* * *

Rei, Andronikos, and Vrynn stepped out of the battered shuttle into the Intelligence Headquarters' landing bay and were immediately greeted by a frazzled agent. "Watcher Three, my lord— uh, lords. Minister Beniko is occupied for the moment, but has arranged for you to be filled in to the best of our abilities."

She could already sense Vitiate at the edge of her mind; he wasn't prying, he was simply _there_ , and while it was little more than a nuisance for the time being, his continued presence could prove to be enough of a distraction that Rei could possibly lose her concentration on the mental walls that kept her Force ghosts quiet.

That was _not_ a situation she wanted to be dealing with at the moment.

"Watcher Three, if I cannot meet with Minister Beniko, then I will meet with either the Lord Wrath or Agent Ven — as per the Council's request." Rei began to follow him as he led them through the base, already feeling somewhat unbalanced with all the consciousnesses pressing in on her own mind. She kept pressed close to Andronikos in case she needed to steady herself. "Lana _should_ be aware of the steps the Council wants taken."

"Apologies, Darth Nox, but we're doing the best we can given the circumstances." Watcher Three led them down another hallway to a small elevator, where he keyed in a code and ushered them all inside. "The Minister should be with you shortly, but the Wrath has been overseeing evacuations since she arrived, and Agent Ven is—" He hesitated. "She hasn't checked in since this morning."

Rei frowned. She'd expected — or, perhaps _hoped_ was a better word — that Zaara would be safely tucked away inside the command center, not right in the middle of the chaos. "Is she alive?"

Watcher Three didn't answer right away, but Rei could feel his mood shift suddenly to something just bordering on nervous. "She hasn't checked in," he said simply, "so we can't be certain." As quickly as it had changed a moment before, his mood once again cleared. "As I mentioned, the Lord Wrath has been placed in charge of our evacuation efforts, and has an officer coordinating with her here on the surface. He'll fill you in on the situation and keep you updated until the Minister can meet with you herself."

"It's fine," Rei decided, somewhat begrudgingly. "If Lana has more important things to do, tell her not to worry about me. Besides, I hardly think Marr will fuss about _proper procedure_ , given the circumstances."

"Of course, Darth Nox." The elevator came to a stop, and Watcher Three stepped out, waiting for them all to follow before continuing through the headquarters. He led them into a small conference room, offering a quick farewell and reassurance that Lana would be in touch before he disappeared down the hall. The room was mostly empty, save for a dormant holoterminal and a man in an Imperial uniform.

"Darth Nox." The officer gave a curt bow, then went back to whatever he was busy with on his datapad.

Rei recognized him — at first from holonet gossip articles, but also as the stuffy Imperial who had worked with the Wrath on Belsavis. "Captain Quinn. You'll be updating us on the situation?"

"For now, my lord," he nodded, "until Minister Beniko can address you herself."

"So, update away." Andronikos took a seat at the head of the conference table, propping his feet up.

Quinn shot him a tight-lipped frown, but his words were still clipped and professional as he spoke. "Agent Ven arrived several days ago to investigate the original reports of possession. She and her team are split between the Headquarters and New Adasta, assisting with evacuations. Agent Ven herself is looking into the presence of Jedi in the capital, along with another Intelligence agent, Kovach."

 _Kovach_. The name had come up in the reports Lana had sent; Rei wasn't sure what exactly made him stand out, other than the fact that Lana seemed to trust him. "When did Darth Evris arrive? Marr mentioned he sent for her even before the Council officially intervened."

He nodded. "My lord and I arrived early this morning. She's taken charge of the evacuations."

Andronikos crossed his arms. "You mentioned Jedi."

"Two dozen or so, that we know of," Quinn confirmed. "At least three have been reported dead, one died in questioning a few hours ago, and one other is being held in the capital."

Rei sighed, leaning on the back of Andronikos' seat. She couldn't report in to the Council with so little new information. "If we're questioning Jedi, I'm assuming we have no idea where they're from or who sent them or why?"

"Correct. That's what Agent Ven is currently attempting to discover."

"Well then, I never thought I'd be suggesting this," Rei began, giving another long sigh, "but I think it's time we go find some Jedi to capture."

* * *

Kira held up the datapad again, this time showing off a holo of a heavyset man with facial tattoos. "That's her dad. Or, _was_. Master Neiri refused to give the Council details but he was killed right in front of her. By Imperials."

From where he sat on the couch, Doc let his head roll back and groaned loudly. "Can't wait to have such a ray of sunshine on board."

She rolled her eyes. "I tell you her father was murdered in front of her, and you're just worried she won't be _fun enough_?" Kira almost considered trying to talk with Cori again, but the togruta was already worried about their upcoming little meet-and-greet with the Emperor, and Kira didn't want to add to her stress.

Sitting back up straight, Doc shrugged. "That was, what, like three years ago?"

An excited beep from T7 cut off Kira's retort — a good thing, most likely, considering the response she'd been preparing — as the astromech announced that they were about to dock at the defense center that orbited Ziost.

Heading up to join Cori in the cockpit, Kira frowned at the sheer number of ships leaving the hangar as their ship approached. It wasn't quite chaotic, but it was far from the typical orderly Imperial spacedock; ships entered and left seemingly undocumented, being filled by the somewhat-organized lines and groups of people waiting at the far edge of the hangar bay.

They landed without issue, slipping in unnoticed between the codes Theron had given them and the not-quite-chaos around them. After sharing a quick glance, Kira followed Cori out of the ship and into the hangar.

She'd worried that it would seem suspicious if a pair of Jedi were walking freely through the defense station; her concerns were unnecessary, evidently. The first thing Kira noticed upon exiting the ship was the _noise_ — voices clamoring and children crying and the occasional uncertain order being called out.

They'd only gone a few steps when Kira was ambushed by a young girl; she was human, with her caramel brown hair pulled into two lopsided pigtails, and couldn't have been more than six or seven years old. "Are you here to take us?" she insisted, hands grasping at Kira's robes.

"I… don't know." Something about the combination of the girl's accent, her weak connection to the Force, and the borderline desperate hope in her hazel eyes was enough to draw instant sympathy from Kira. She knelt down so she was eye-level with the girl, gently tugging her robes from her grasp. "What are you doing up here? Where are your parents?"

The girl blinked. "Dunno." She gave an exaggerated shrug, then explained, "The soldiers told us to come up here, so I did. They were putting us all in shuttles."

Kira gave her a somewhat awkward pat on the head as she stood. "Well, just keep listening to the soldiers for now."

What a weird day it was turning out to be.

Making sure the girl wasn't following, Kira half-jogged to catch up with Cori; the togruta stood in front of a large screen displaying _standard evacuation protocol_ on one side and a partial map of Ziost on the other. "If their only course of action at this point is to cram everyone up here, it must be pretty bad down there."

Cori's lips pressed together into a frown. "We have to find Theron. And Lys — if she's in charge of evacuations planetside, she probably has a pretty good idea what's going on down there."

"Good idea. But first, maybe…" Kira jerked a thumb over her shoulder towards the crowded station. "Some of these people could use medical attention, and that is the single area in which Doc is actually useful. More than useful."

"Let's check in with Lys first," Cori suggested. "He might be needed more urgently somewhere else, and Rusk and Scourge might be able to help somewhere as well."

"Sounds good. And whatever you do — _do not_ let him know I ever admitted he's a good doctor."


	23. Chapter 23

**_A/N:_** _in which cori is a disaster jedi, zaara and theron are disaster spies, and davri is a disaster soldier._

 _also ft. lys "the republic is actually terrible but that's none of my business [sips tea]" sala_

 _so. i don't have a good excuse for why this chapter is so late. nor do i have a bad excuse. i just... didn't finish editing until about five minutes ago. i'm gonna get this whole thing out before kotet i promise (maybe)_

* * *

" _Fuck_."

Cori simply sighed; she had nothing to add, no words to describe the nightmare that was Ziost. Vitiate had already been attempting to push into her mind — not enough to be a threat but just enough to toy with her, to remind her of those months when she hadn't been able to resist and her mind had been _his_ — but even that wasn't anywhere as near as terrible as the planet itself.

The area she and Kira had landed at — the Sith Intelligence Headquarters, according to the shuttle they'd taken — was still mostly intact, but she could see the smoke in the distance and sense the death and darkness from what she could only assume was the capital city.

Turning back towards the building itself, Cori motioned for Kira to follow her through the hangar bay. The few Imperials that they passed paid them little attention; most seemed too concerned with their own tasks to bother with anyone else, and the ones that did even bother to glance up at them simply put their heads back down and hurried along.

"Something's not right here." Kira brushed against Cori as she walked even closer, tense anticipation emanating from her in waves, sharp and bitter.

Cori frowned. "We aren't the biggest threat here," she guessed. "We have to find Lys." She could already sense the Wrath, towards the other end of the building. Anxiety was beginning to build within her, though she wasn't sure how much was her own and how much was simply Kira's influence; even with the possibility of the Emperor loose on the planet, there would come a point where the soldiers would no longer let them pass.

They were, after all, two Jedi in the middle of Intelligence headquarters.

As they rounded a corner, something appeared in Cori's peripheral and the next moment, a blaster was pointed squarely at her temple.

"Jedi."

Careful not to move too quickly, Cori turned towards the familiar voice. "Quinn. We're looking for Lys. We're here to help."

Quinn frowned, but holstered the blaster after another moment. "You would be the first Jedi to do so, in that case. However, I cannot allow you to remain on Ziost unsupervised."

Kira snorted.

"Understood." Tossing a cautionary glance back at Kira, Cori added, "Could you take us to Lys, then?"

His frown deepened; despite being clearly displeased at the circumstance, Quinn eventually nodded. "She's been overseeing evacuations from the defense center, but is currently here within the headquarters." He turned abruptly on his heel and began down the hallway, as if to follow through before he had the chance to change his mind.

Cori motioned to Kira, and they continued through the headquarters, keeping close to Quinn. He led them up a small flight of stairs and into an office, where Lys stood in her deep crimson armor, fastening the clasps on one of her heavy gauntlets.

Quinn offered nothing more than a crisp _my lord_ in greeting, and the room fell into tense silence for a moment. "They requested to meet with you," he finally said, but it did nothing to lessen the tension.

There was a tiredness to Lys' expression as she looked over the two Jedi — as if she'd aged a decade since Cori had seen her last — but it disappeared, replaced by a quiet resolve, as she spoke. "Cori," she began, hesitation and suspicion plain in her voice. "Tell me you aren't with the other Jedi?"

" _Other Jedi_?" Cori echoed, surprise and confusion overlaying the little ache that always occurred whenever she and Lys found themselves at odds.

"I'll take that as a _no_. Why are you here, then?" Slowly, she picked up the second gauntlet and pulled it on, her eyes shifting between Cori, Kira, and Quinn. "You were brought here by someone," she guessed. "Was it Lana or Zaara?"

Cori hesitated, glancing back at Kira. "Neither," she answered cautiously. "I can't… All I can say is that the Jedi on Ziost weren't meant to attack. They were just going to investigate the possibility of Vitiate's presence, but things didn't go as planned and I'm here to help." She was careful not to make any mention of Theron; considering Lys hadn't immediately jumped to the conclusion that _he'd_ been the one to call Cori to Ziost, she assumed the Imperials were still unaware of his presence.

The Wrath turned to Quinn with a raised eyebrow, and the two shared an intrigued glance. "A secret team of elite Jedi on an Imperial planet — and they were meant to help?"

Lys, Cori had learned, was far more _insufferable_ on Imperial ground.

Quinn gave a sharp nod. "Actually, that _does_ correlate with Agent Ven's latest… findings."

The mention of her sister sent a shock of worry through her. "Where's Zaara?"

"She's here, she's safe," Lys assured her, her tone now soft and consoling and familiar, almost to the point where it convinced Cori. "Lana, as well."

She was hit with a second wave of the nauseating worry; just as Cori was beginning to feel overwhelmed — it was _too much_ , between her concern about everyone she cared about and her fear about the entire situation and the fact that the Emperor was _everywhere_ , like a stench seeping into her robes and skin when she'd only just scrubbed herself clean — Cori felt Kira's hand on her shoulder, warm and supporting and _tangible_. Focusing on that single gesture, she felt once again grounded, even if only for the moment.

"We have something very important to accomplish." Cori breathed deeply, trying to regain her composure and turn her efforts back to the whole reason they were there — to find Theron. "All we need is a bit of time to find someone, and we can help with the Jedi. Just— an hour," she asked, placing half a lifetime of trust and friendship into that single request. "All we need is an hour."

The tiredness returned to Lys' expression, and she glanced over at Quinn before sighing. "I'm due to report in to the Council. After that, I'll be contacting Lana. You have until then — after that, I'll alert Sith Intelligence and I… I can't promise to vouch for you if you're caught."

Cori nodded; it was better than she could've hoped for if she hadn't gone to Lys. "We'll be ready to help," she promised.

"Be safe, Battlemaster."

* * *

"Tell me you have something substantial." Lana could hear the exhaustion in her own voice — how many hours had it even been since she'd slept? She couldn't be sure. The days were all running together and it had been so long since she'd even left her office.

It had been just over twelve hours since they'd pulled the majority of their forces out of New Adasta, but between Zaara and her crew, Captain Kartier, and Lieutenant Pierce and that Talz from the Wrath's crew, they'd been able to hold the makeshift base at the southwest edge of the capital.

The hospital — one of the first places hit by Vitiate's pawns the week before — was now far more than a few rooms to take cover in for a couple hours of sleep; Zaara and Kartier had turned it into a combination base of operations for the military, refuge for any civilians unable to make it to an evac, and containment center for any number of possessed soldiers, civilians, and Jedi.

In the past four hours, it had also become interrogation facilities.

"Of course I do." Over the holo, Zaara nodded; there was a slight shake to her voice, like she'd gone too long with stims and caf in place of food or sleep or rest. "Thanks to Kovach, mostly. He's worthless in interrogation but he's more than made up for it by figuring this one out."

Lana waited a moment for Zaara to elaborate. Behind her, someone called out her name; she waved them off. "Well?"

Instead of answering, Zaara stepped back and her image was replaced by Kovach. "Minister." He gave a dip of his head before continuing. "Based on what we've learned and what little I know about Jedi, I believe we're dealing with the Sixth Line."

There was another pause, and Lana sighed in frustration. "I don't have all day, Agent. What exactly is the Sixth Line?"

"They're the closest thing the Jedi have to a black ops group," Kovach explained. "They aren't associated with Tython or the military, but we believe— Agent Ven believes," he corrected himself with an odd sort of hesitance, "that they may currently be working for the SIS. It seems unlikely, given—"

"The SIS?" Lana interrupted.

"Yes, but—"

"Watcher Three." Ignoring Kovach for the moment, Lana turned to where the Watcher was currently monitoring the status of evacuations. "Have security and any forces left outside the Headquarters be on alert. Call it a hunch, but I believe Theron Shan may be connected to all of this." She clasped her hands behind her back and, as an afterthought, added, "And be sure to be _very_ clear — I want him brought in _alive_."

"Yes, Minister."

Kovach frowned. "We can't even be sure the SIS is a part of this. Why would Shan be involved?"

"A disaster like this?" Zaara wasn't on the holo, but Lana could hear her light-hearted comment. "It has _Theron_ written all over it." She ducked into view for a moment as she added, "And don't tell Nox, not yet. I'd like to try and keep her from getting involved as long as possible."

"She left about an hour ago," Watcher Three called, loudly enough that the holo picked his voice up. "She was supposed to be headed towards your location."

"Damn. I'll see if I can get in touch with her, at least. Reign her in before she kills _too_ many people."

"Nox is aware that—" Lana's words cut off abruptly; she'd been trying to find Nox, attempting to reach out through the Force to locate her. It had become difficult to clearly sense _anything_ , between her efforts to keep Vitiate out of her mind and the overwhelming presence that saturated everything.

But there she was, clear as day and headed straight towards the capital — _Cori_.

Lana glanced back towards the holo, feeling her eyes go wide. "Did you call her here?"

Zaara frowned in confusion. "Nox? She's the _Council oversight_ —" Still frowning, she made exaggerated air quotes as she spoke, "—to ensure cooperation and efficiency, or something like that."

"No, not— Zaara, I think you should head back here. Kovach is more than capable of handling things, and there's… something we should look into."

Despite giving Lana an odd look, Zaara nodded in understanding. "I'll head out."

"Hurry." Lana had so far stayed within the Intelligence Headquarters, dutifully leading and delegating rather than join in on the fighting outside, but Cori's presence warranted a personal investigation.

The best she could hope for at the moment was information — this was neither the time nor the place for a reunion and besides, that was the _last_ thing on her mind — but part of her was now itching with worry. An unaffiliated black ops group didn't seem like something Cori would be involved with, but either way she had some explaining to do.

That is, assuming Vitiate hadn't yet claimed her.

* * *

"Will you at least tell me what it is we're rushing for?" As Zaara spoke, she prepped a simple probe and lobbed it towards the center of a group of possessed soldiers on the opposite side of the street. An airborne neurotoxin — nonlethal, courtesy of Lokin — sprayed out, and over the next few seconds each of the four soldiers collapsed, alive but immobile.

It was a crude, temporary solution, but the only one they'd been able to come up with so far.

She turned her attention to Lana; the Sith held a soldier aloft with the Force, another was sprawled on the ground behind her, and she was holding off a Jedi with her lightsaber. With a sharp _crack_ , the airborne soldier convulsed and dropped to the ground.

The Jedi dove to the side with a grunt of effort, evading Lana's attack and popping back onto his feet, his own saber raised in preparation to retaliate.

"Get down!" Ducking behind the slab of duracrete she'd been using as cover, Zaara tossed a flash bang grenade towards the Jedi, uncertain if it would even have an effect. When she looked back up, the Jedi seemed somewhat disoriented but mostly alert; he swung at Lana, but before she could even block his attack he went flying backwards, pushed aside by someone outside of Zaara's view.

Zaara planned to use the opportunity to take a shot, but before she could even line up her rifle, she found her target obstructed by a second Jedi — this one with dark green robes and a soft green lightsaber, both of which Zaara recognized with a shock of both worry and dismay.

"Lana!"

The familiar voice was the last piece of confirmation Zaara needed, and she pushed herself up with another pang of concern. Cori stood in the middle of the street, brow furrowed and lips pulled into a frown as she clipped her saber back to her belt. She wasn't quite _fretting_ over Lana, but she practically radiated both worry and relief as she glanced over her.

"This isn't your fight, Battlemaster," Lana stated plainly; as Zaara approached, she wondered just how close she'd have to get before the pair remembered they weren't alone. She shared a quick glance with Kira, suspecting the Jedi was thinking the same thing.

"Maybe it isn't, but it isn't one you have to fight alone, either. I'm here to help."

Lana hesitated, as if she had something to say and thought better of it. Instead, she directed her attention to Kovach; the second agent had come with Zaara to meet Lana, and was trailing behind when they were attacked. "Agent Kovach, make certain that Master Cori receives the necessary security clearance. We aren't in a position to turn down help, unfortunately."

"What position _are_ you in?" Kira asked, placing her hands on her hips and surveying the ruined street they stood in. "We're a bit short on details."

"I'm surprised you aren't familiar with the work of the Jedi," Kovach commented lightly.

Cori grimaced as she glanced over at the Jedi she'd struck down. "We knew there was a Republic team here," she admitted, "but I had no idea they were Jedi. We knew about the Emperor, too — that's why we're here, and it's why they're here."

Zaara frowned. "And since when is Vitiate the responsibility of the Jedi?" Cori said nothing in response, and Zaara wondered if she hit some sort of self-conscious chord. "Regardless," she continued, "Lana's right. If you're here, you might as well help. Agent?"

Kovach launched into an explanation of their situation, covering what little they'd discovered about the Sixth Line while managing to leave out — mostly — details of their operation and the interrogations. He was about halfway through an explanation of the actual possessions when Zaara's earpiece beeped, and Watcher Three spoke a moment later.

" _Agent Ven, we have a problem_."

"What is it, Watcher?" Zaara stepped away from the others as she spoke over the comm line.

" _Anti-air defenses around New Adasta have been activated_ ," Watcher Three reported, voice faltering slightly as he continued. " _They… It wasn't authorized by anyone, that I can tell. I'm accessing the security—_ "

"Shut them down," Zaara interrupted, feeling only mildly guilty for snapping at the agent. _Everything_ was a problem, nothing was going right, and she'd been on the losing end of this mission for far too long. "We don't have the manpower to keep the defense stations guarded and we can't risk our own ships being shot out of the sky." She paused, jaw clenching. "How many?"

It was a moment before Watcher Three answered. " _Two ships. Over three hundred civilians, plus military personnel_."

 _Worthless_. That was the only word that came to Zaara's mind — those deaths had been worthless, meaningless sacrifices. She couldn't justify them, couldn't claim it was for some greater good or higher purpose. They had lost people, _lost_ in the truest sense of the word.

She'd done worse. Firing the Eradicators, all those years ago, had caused hundreds of times the amount of damage — and yet, there had been a purpose. She'd brought in Jadus alive. Completed her mission. Justified it. Moved on.

"Shut. Them. _Down_."

" _I can't. The defense systems can't be accessed remotely. You'd have to force your way back in to the military compound._ "

"Noted." Turning back to the others, Zaara clasped her hands together and gave what she hoped was a convincing grin. "Kovach, I need you to disable the AA systems. Contact Watcher Three if you need more details. Take our two Jedi friends with you — and hurry. Lana, you and I need to get to work because I've got lots of creative ways to kill Vitiate, but no Vitiate to kill."

* * *

 _:::Alert: Emergency Evacuation:::_

 _[Ziost has declared a state of emergency, and as such is under standard planetary evacuation protocol. Recommended evacuations are in place. Please consult the following list for areas immediately affected.]  
[Mandatory evacuations: New Adasta and surrounding metropolitan areas]_

 _:::End Transmission:::_

"Dorne, what's standard evacuation protocol for Imperials?" Davri let the emergency broadcast play a fourth time; it had begun when they'd entered orbit around the planet, and had only contributed to her growing sense of unease over the situation.

"It varies, sir." As Elara came up the steps into the cockpit, she clarified, "Depending on the evacuation area, circumstances, and Council priority." She paused to listen to the transmission, eyes widening as it looped a fifth time.

"What are we looking at?"

She cleared her throat, expression smoothing back into one of curt professionalism. "Declaring a state of emergency isn't done lightly, especially on a planet like Ziost. The Council has likely intervened, possibly directly. This… isn't how a civilian uprising would be handled."

"So Saresh either isn't giving us the whole story, or her intel is wrong." With a sigh, Davri cut off the broadcast and made her way down to the main holoterminal, keying in a code Saresh had given her. The Supreme Chancellor's image flickered into view a few moments later. "We've arrived a few hours ahead of the rest of the fleet," Davri began, not in the mood to deal with formalities. "Why don't we go back over the situation?"

"I'm afraid there isn't time, Major." Saresh crossed her arms. "I've received some rather disturbing information — a rogue group of Jedi have already begun to take advantage of the chaos on Ziost. The Imperials are retreating, pulling their forces out of the capital city. There will likely be heightened security at the Intelligence base."

Davri glanced past Saresh's image to where Elara stood on the other side of the room; she didn't seem convinced. "They're not just leaving New Adasta, they're evacuating the entire planet. You're telling me this is all because a few Jedi are running around on the surface?"

Saresh was silent for a moment, lips pressed into a tight frown. "Those _few Jedi_ are part of an elite squad that single-handedly kept the Balmorran resistance from falling apart when the Empire controlled the planet. I think it's very likely that they've done something to merit such a response, yes."

Taking a steadying breath in an attempt to keep from accusing Saresh of… _something_ , of anything that could be placed on her, Davri instead turned her attention to the issue of the Jedi. "When you say _rogue group_ , what do you mean?"

"Officially, they're on leave. We haven't discovered who authorized this mission, but given the secrecy behind both these Jedi and the situation on Ziost, it's unlikely they're acting alone."

"But they're still working in Republic interests?" Davri pressed. "We won't have to fight through Sith _and_ Jedi?"

Saresh offered a brief nod as she confirmed, "My agent on Ziost has reported that they're attacking the Imperials, yes. Still, we don't yet know their purpose. I'd advise caution."

"Got it." Without waiting for Saresh to say anything else — not that she could add anything valuable anyway, in Davri's opinion — she switched off the holoterminal and turned to Elara. "What do you think, Dorne?"

Elara was silent for a moment, lips twisted in a slight frown as she thought. "I think we're missing something," she decided, "but I do believe it's possible — especially if the Imperials know there's a Republic presence — that even Saresh's agent is missing something. Imperial Intelligence wasn't ever known for sharing information."

"I still think she's keeping stuff from us," Davri shrugged, before leaning forward to call out into the cargo bay. "Vik! Make sure you bring something big enough to bring down a building."

"Sure thing, Boss."

Elara gave her a questioning glance. "I thought the plans—"

"We're on Imperial soil, Dorne," Davri interrupted. "I'm not leaving without taking the chance to blow something up."


	24. Chapter 24

_**A/N:** in which cori's attempt to be doubtful fails, rei's attempt to be responsible fails, and davri's attempt to... do _anything _fails._

 _and heeeeeey so i hope you all like giant chapters that are almost 2k words longer than they're supposed to be_

* * *

"What now?" Cori allowed herself a moment to catch her breath, still eying Kovach warily despite the enthusiastic assistance he'd provided up to that point. "The city's defenses are completely down now, so there shouldn't be any more issues with evacuations."

"Their ships can get out," Kira added, "but anyone could also get _in_. Not that I'm complaining, necessarily, but the Empire isn't exactly known for opening themselves up to attack."

Kovach nodded sharply. "It's our only option at this point. You've seen the damage — there isn't much of a city left to defend. There's no real sense in wasting resources protecting it." With a frown, he turned back to the main terminal and keyed in a code. Lana's image appeared a moment later, and Kovach reported, "Evacuations can continue, Minister. AA guns and other defenses are all offline. Shall I escort the Jedi back to headquarters?"

"That won't be necessary. Agent Ven has asked that you meet her and Captain Kartier in New Adasta." Lana focused her attention on something out of the holo for a moment, then turned to Cori. "Stay safe."

As the image fizzled out, Kovach turned to Cori and cleared his throat. "Before we proceed — I believe it's safe now, to tell you I'm not with Sith Intelligence. I work for Theron Shan. I've been feeding him information, and I'm the reason he and his team are on Ziost."

Kira made a sound that was somewhere between a groan and a tired laugh. "Next time, lead with that."

Kovach _seemed_ to be telling the truth, but Cori was wary of trusting him. Rather than outright saying so, she pursed her lips and asked, "If you've been keeping him informed, why would you tell him to come here when the possessions are as bad as they are?"

Opening his mouth to speak but not saying anything, Kovach glanced away and reconsidered before looking back up at Cori, not quite meeting her gaze. She thought that, for a second, she could sense a flash of guilt from the agent, but it was too brief to tell. "It was a mistake," Kovach finally admitted. "I knew Theron would be interested, especially when the Sith decided against investigating, but I didn't expect him to bring the Sixth Line here. When I learned he was headed here, I…" Kovach paused, watching the terminal in front of him intently. "I didn't stop him and I should've."

Cynicism didn't come naturally to Cori, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Kovach wasn't quite telling them everything. But before she could figure out how to respond, Kira placed a hand on her hip and pointed out, "Look, even if he's _not_ working for Theron, he's working for Lana and Zaara, right? So, you have to figure — lying, telling the truth… either way, he's still on our side."

A sound point, but it did little to ease Cori's mistrust.

"Here — I can prove it," Kovach offered, pulling out his holocomm. A few moments later — to Cori's surprise, she realized with some chagrin — Theron appeared, crouched down and blaster in hand. "Agent Shan."

"Not really a good time, Kovach." Theron glanced away, then turned back to the holo with a frown. "Unless you've got somewhere _not_ crawling with possessed bakers."

"I do, actually. I'll send the coordinates. If you're at the bakery," Kovach commented thoughtfully, "you should be just down the road from the compound. The reason I called is because Agent Ven assigned me to work with Master Cori. I felt it was appropriate to inform her of my… _role_ in all this."

Kovach swiveled the holocomm to face Cori, and as she came into view Theron gave a heavy sigh of relief, shoulders slumping a bit. "Thank the Force you're here. If anyone can get Zaara and Lana to listen to reason, it's you. They've been capturing and torturing my team for information, and I've got to get them out of here."

Cori gave a grim nod. "If you come meet us, we can go talk to them and explain everything. They already know I'm here."

He frowned, sighing as he admitted, "Yeah, that's probably best. Send me those coordinates, Kovach, and I'll head that way."

"Of course, sir." The holocomm blinked out, and as Kovach transmitted the information, Cori pulled out her own holocomm to check in with Lana. A somewhat tense silence followed after the necessary procedures were finished; it was another ten minutes before Theron arrived, looking even worse than he had over the holo. Cori tried to ask what exactly had happened, but didn't get a single word out before Theron shook his head and gave a tired laugh. "Don't. I get enough of the guilty Jedi looks from Satele, these days."

Cori apologized almost reflexively. "Sorry. But the captain we've been working with, over at the headquarters, she has some medical training. She could—"

"Thanks," Theron interrupted, "but I've been through worse. I'd rather take my chances than be at the mercy of an Imperial medic. Especially since they're about to find out I'm the one that caused half of this mess."

"I understand. Doc's helping up at the orbital station, but I can—"

She was cut off by the shrill chime that signaled a priority call. Theron pulled out his holocomm, taking a steadying breath before connecting. To Cori's surprise — and Theron's dismay, judging by his expression — the Supreme Chancellor appeared, arms crossed and looking mildly unimpressed.

"Supreme Chancellor."

"Agent Shan. And Master Cori — what a surprise. I'd like to say this changes things, but I'm going to give you the same option I'm giving Shan." Saresh's tone was as hard as her glare, and it left Cori with the same sour taste of cynicism as before. "You've been aware of the situation on Ziost for well over a week, and failed to report it to either the SIS or the military. You took action by yourself, in the form of an unsanctioned operation with a rogue group of black ops Jedi, and _still_ failed to report. And now, my sources tell me that you're actually _on_ Ziost."

"Chancellor—"

"And you, Cori," Saresh carried on, ignoring Theron, "if memory serves, should be off on a mission for the Jedi Council. I'm not interested in explanations or excuses. Despite your refusal to follow procedure, we can still salvage this situation — _if_ you're both willing to finally work in the Republic's best interests rather than your own."

Cori stepped forward, holding out a cautious hand to keep Theron from saying something that would likely only draw more ire from Saresh. "I assure you, Supreme Chancellor, we _are_ working in the Republic's interests. But I'm afraid there isn't a situation to salvage. The planet is in chaos, and—"

"Which is _exactly_ why we have to act," Saresh snapped. "I'm well aware of the state that Ziost is in. The two of you can either join the offensive, or face the consequences when you return to Coruscant."

Theron's expression was one part anger and one part sheer disbelief. "If you know about Ziost, you know about the possessions. We need to get people _out_ , not bring more in."

"You aren't in a position to argue, Shan. Besides, the time to debate the offensive has long passed."

* * *

Rei frowned down at the holoimage of the Council chambers. Ravage, Acina, and Aruk were the only ones present, though both Zhorrid and Marr had advisors attending. Lana had already assured her that the meetings, as informal and last minute and numerous as they'd all been over the past few days, were all similarly small since most of the other members of the council were off assisting with the situation on Ziost however they were able.

Marr and Rictus, she assumed, were doing _something_ helpful. Zhorrid was as likely to be helping as she was to be simply taking a day off. The others, Rei had no idea.

It was beginning to grate on her nerves.

Not that she especially despised interrogations, but they could get _exhausting_. Seven straight hours with one of the Jedi from the capital, and all Rei had to show for it were bloodshot eyes and a split lip where the Jedi had managed to slam his head into hers. Actually _killing_ him had been an accident, a moment where she'd struck out in blind fury despite knowing how close he'd been to death.

Before that had been two Imperial soldiers and another of the Jedi, though Rei had been more interested in trying to get Vitiate's attention than anything the soldiers had to say. That attempt had been similarly unsuccessful, though it hadn't taken nearly as long.

And now, she was expected to report in to the rest of the Council, who had all been sitting safely in the Citadel while Rei had to keep shoving Vitiate out of her mind. She _had_ , technically, volunteered, but that didn't change the fact that she was the only councilor on Ziost.

"Feel free to begin, Nox."

Rei's frown deepened as she glared down at Ravage's image. "Right, sorry. I was just thinking about how I have to keep the former Emperor out of my head."

"Yes," Ravage said flatly, "we've all read the reports."

"Vitiate's presence seems to have stopped growing in intensity," Lana interjected, speaking quickly enough to cut off any further retorts Rei would've had. "We've distributed a combination of neurotoxins and tranquilizers to our soldiers, and if the evacuations continue at the rate we're at now, we should have at least the capital empty in a few days."

Marr's advisor, a regal pureblood with long dark hair, spoke up. "Are we beginning to gain control of the situation?"

"Evacuations are going smoothly," Rei confirmed, "but we still have the Jedi to deal with. We've confirmed that they're part of the Sixth Line. Beyond that, we still don't know why they're here or who sent them."

"And how many Jedi have you already gone through questioning, Nox?"

She narrowed her eyes at Ravage's image. "Two. One was useless. The other gave me a name."

On the holo, four pairs of eyes stared up at her expectantly. "The name of who sent them?" Marr's advisor questioned, typing up notes on her datapad.

" _Surro_ ," Rei revealed. "Master Surro. She leads the Sixth Line, and we think she's here on Ziost."

The advisor nodded, still typing furiously, and Lana added, "Actually, we may have more than that." She glanced over at Rei for a moment, giving her an odd look before continuing. "The Sixth Line may simply have been here to investigate Vitiate. Agent Ven and I believe they may be here on orders from Theron Shan."

On the holo, the Council chambers fell into an uneasy silence. Rei felt herself freeze, staring blankly down at the holoterminal as she processed Lana's words. "It's a possibility we'll look into," she forced out, feigning some sort of knowledge on the subject — as if she hadn't just had her authority undermined, hadn't just learned that the two others in charge were keeping information from her.

She felt, for a moment, as if she were once again the newest member of the Council — always the last to know and regularly left confused at information the others accepted without question.

The weight of the actual information hit her just a moment later — that Theron may very well have been on Ziost — and Rei was suddenly torn between marching outside to search for him herself, or simply tearing the information from the mind of their last remaining Jedi prisoner.

Theron would likely protest the latter, and her presence was too important for the former, so Rei would have to settle for finding Zaara and lecturing her like a wayward acolyte.

Rei cleared her throat. "If you'll excuse me, Council, I have business to attend to." Without waiting for any possible protests, Rei stormed out of the room they'd used for the meeting, heading straight for the main room where she hoped to find Zaara.

She found not only Zaara, but Andronikos and Kaliyo and that chatty twi'lek from the Wrath's crew. She marched right up to the table they were gathered at, not caring that she was interrupting whatever conversation they all were so invested in. "We need to talk, _Agent_."

"Later, Sith." From beside Rei, Andronikos placed a hand on her arm. "Whatever's going on, you don't need to take it out on Zaara."

"Fine." Without argument, and leaving the group perplexed, Rei grabbed Andronikos' hand and tugged him along with her as she stormed down the hall, leading them to an empty room with a mostly intact door. "I need your help," she began as soon as the door clanged shut behind them. "There's… I have things that need to be done, and now I know Zaara and Lana are keeping information from me."

That, at least, was part of the issue. If she could focus on _that_ , on the anger from that one little thing, she could ignore the concern over Theron that was beginning to churn inside of her.

" _Rei_." Making no indication that he'd actually heard her, Andronikos gripped her by the shoulders and stared down at her. "Is that what's got you all worked up?"

She grumbled something about not being _worked up_. "They're keeping things from the Council, and I need it looked into. But I need to stay here." _Council oversight_ had to be the simplest job on Ziost at the moment, and yet Rei had managed to completely mess up, letting critical information stay hidden from the Sith far longer than it should have. Whether it was Intelligence being the pain in the ass they always were, or just Zaara and her unending grudge against Sith, it was entirely unacceptable and Rei would have to find a way to make that clear.

Execution would be the quickest solution, but Rei was growing tired of death given the bodies piled in the streets of the capital and the way it permeated the Force here. Besides, she liked Zaara. Usually.

"Whatever you need me to do," Andronikos promised. In a lighter tone, he added, "Just send me with Vrynn. She's pretty handy to have around."

"Fine. I'll tell her." Rei ignored the concerned look Andronikos gave her at her short response, staring past him towards the half-closed door. "Theron's here," she revealed, voice low. "I'm not sure how long they've known or how he's involved with all this, but…" She trailed off, sighing and letting her shoulders slump. "I'm tired."

Slowly, Andronikos pulled her closer and simply held her. "I thought Lana said things were starting to turn around?"

"Maybe." Rei didn't move, content to stand with his arms around her. "I messed up. I was trying to do everything the Council needed me to, and I messed up. I just can't… With Vitiate…"

Andronikos pulled back just enough to look at Rei. "You okay?"

"Okay. Tired, but okay."

He studied her for a moment longer, but seemed satisfied enough with her answer. After another bit of silence, he sighed. "We're losing our edge, Sith."

She gave him a tired smile. "You lost yours a long time ago, Pirate. I'm just doing you the courtesy of following suit."

* * *

 _[We miss you. Stay safe.]_

Six hours. It had been six hours since Vector had sent that message, and Zaara was doing her best to remain calm. Even though Raina was the only one she'd seen over the past few days, she'd been keeping close contact with the rest of her team.

Lokin had taken control of the medical facilities on the orbital station, SCORPIO was still up on the ship, utterly uninterested, and though Zaara had lost track of where Kaliyo was or what she was doing, she still responded each time Zaara checked in.

She knew, rationally, that there were plenty of reasons why Vector hadn't returned her message. He was busy, he was sleeping, he had thought about responding and forgotten to send the actual message.

But that wasn't what sprung immediately to mind, not when she was staring out over the mostly-ruined city blocks of downtown New Adasta. Zaara had taken the evening to herself — in a sense, given that she was still working — and had left the now-crowded lower floors of the hospital for the exposed upper floors. Somewhere between floors 38 and 41, the side of the building had been mangled and torn open, and Zaara was perched on a thick support beam that jutted out from what remained of the intact floor.

It wasn't safe; then again, what _was_ in this city? She'd spent the morning fighting for her life in an old diner, wasted most of the afternoon with a fruitless interrogation, and had been avoiding Rei the entire evening. For whatever reason, the most recent Council meeting had left her furious, and Zaara wasn't in the mood to know why.

She wasn't really in the mood for _anything_ ; all Zaara wanted to do was wrap up the business on Ziost and go spend the next few weeks visiting increasingly shady cantinas with Kaliyo.

Zaara was relieved for the chance at a distraction — even if it was a frantic soldier who came running up to her, skidding to a stop a good ten meters from where the intact floor gave way to gnarled metal. He glanced up, wide eyed, and held out a datapad uncertainly.

"The Minister sent me, sir," he forced out, breathing heavily. "It's… it's chaos. In the capital."

Her moment of relief ended rather abruptly. "Slow down, Private." Zaara pulled herself to her feet, carefully walking across the suspended beam to meet him in the center of the destroyed office. "What's going on?" She took the datapad, brow furrowing at the information.

"Republic. Reports say they're all over the eastern side of the city, and a secondary force has hit the headquarters to the north."

Frowning down at the two — then three, then four — incoming alerts about the attack, Zaara tucked the datapad under one arm and pushed past the private, jerking her head to indicate he should follow. "If there's any caf left, we'll need some. Find Kartier, wake her up and tell her what's going on. Have someone contact Captain Quinn up at the orbital station and tell him Lys needs to get her ass down here. _Go_." She practically shoved the private out of the office, then closed the doors as best she could.

There was something _off_ about this attack.

Not that the entire past week and a half hadn't been completely abnormal, but it didn't make sense for the Republic to attack, not with what had happened with their Jedi.

Unless they didn't know — but still, blindly attacking a major city because a… recon? infiltration? team had failed to report in was more the Empire's style, and even then only if the stakes were high enough. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or the stress was beginning to get to her, but something wasn't right.

Cori _had_ warned them, though it was rather unhelpful and she wouldn't go into any sort of detail. She'd claimed not to know how much information the Republic had or what they hoped to accomplish with an attack, and refused to give specifics about the little she did know.

But with the invasion actually underway, she _might_ be a bit more talkative.

Zaara had no doubt that Lana's first instinct would be to turn to Cori and see what else she knew, and Zaara trusted her — mostly — not to be too harsh in her questioning. It helped that she expected Cori to be honest about anything she may know, though Zaara knew that was a somewhat naive hope; as much as Cori didn't seem to mind helping the Empire if it was for a good enough cause, there were entire years of her life marked as _confidential_ in Republic files and though Zaara hadn't ever been brave enough to search through them, she assumed it was for high risk missions against the Empire.

Zaara, like Cori, would one day have to choose between her loyalties to her home and her loyalties to her sister. Hopefully, it wouldn't have to be today.

So instead of contacting Cori, Zaara pulled out her holocomm and punched in a code for a different Republic frequency, one she wasn't sure was still valid and was even less sure she'd get an answer.

The next few seconds seemed to drag on, but the call did eventually connect and Theron's image shimmered to life on Zaara's holocomm. He looked considerably worse for wear, with particularly nasty bruising around his implants, and seemed as relieved as he was wary to see Zaara on the other end of the holocall.

"Agent," Zaara offered in way of a greeting. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say we're in the same system."

Theron sighed, but gave in with a slow nod. "I'll take a wild guess and say you're talking about Ziost. Did Cori tell you, or did you figure it all out by yourself?"

"I worked out the SIS," Zaara shrugged, quashing the annoyance that Cori knew about Theron but had held that information back, "but it was Lana who thought you might be involved."

"Of course she would."

"To business, then." Zaara glanced down at the datapad she still held, scrolling through the handful of notifications and alerts she was getting about the Republic's attack. "What the hell were you thinking?"

It was a few moments before Theron answered, his expression hardening. "I was _trying_ to help. That's my team of Jedi out there you keep interrogating, but I'm not the one who called in the attack." He frowned. "This was an off-the-books mission. No one should've even known about it."

It was an answer Zaara could be satisfied with, even if it didn't really change anything. "You're down at least a half dozen Jedi, by the way. We're holding two up at headquarters. One probably won't survive more than a few more hours, but you're free to take the other when you leave."

Theron almost flinched at the information; Zaara knew it wasn't what he wanted to hear, but she figured he deserved to hear it nonetheless. But to Zaara's surprise, Theron just nodded. "That's all on me."

"Good. Now, if that's a mess you'd like to help clean up, we could use another pair of hands."

* * *

There were a total of six terminals in the room, three lined up along the wall on each side. Each workstation was the same, impeccably neat and entirely impersonal save for a few small details Davri was only beginning to notice — a datapad cover with a date and initials printed on one corner, a caf mug sitting on a coaster with the faded logo of a Huttball team, one of those special chronos that displayed a different inspirational quote each day.

She wasn't certain exactly what she'd expected an Imperial Intelligence office to look like, but this… wasn't quite it. It was too _normal_.

Davri paced through the room as she waited for the holoterminal in the center to go through; it beeped softly as it attempted to connect to Saresh's holofrequency. Aric and Forex stood behind her, Elara and Yuun stood watch near the door, and Vik was sitting in one of the chairs with his feet propped up on the terminal.

"Anything?" Davri looked away for a moment to glance over at Elara.

"Nope," Vik answered, tapping at one of the datapads. "Damn thing's got about a dozen layers of security. I just wanted to play some sabaac."

"I was talking to Dorne," she clarified. "But keep me apprised of your mission, Lieutenant."

"You got it, Boss."

Elara cleared her throat. "No one's come through this way, sir. And Lieutenant, standard-issue datapads do not come with sabaac games installed, I'm afraid."

Before Davri could offer a smart comment, the holoterminal beeped and Saresh appeared. "I trust you have good reason to contact me, Major? I didn't expect to hear from you until the headquarters were completely under our control."

"One problem — this place is packed with refugees."

The Chancellor seemed unfazed. "And?"

" _And_ ," Davri echoed, trying to keep the mocking edge out of her voice, "the Imps think the Emperor is on Ziost, and they're trying to get their people out. I've got no problem taking control of the headquarters, but you can't expect me to stop planet-wide evacuations?"

Saresh's stare hardened. "I _expect_ you to complete the mission, Major Sohms. I would hate for your hesitance to be interpreted as treason, especially given the court hearing you're missing." The holocall blinked off.

Davri slammed a hand onto the terminal in frustration. "Try to do the right damned thing — just once — and look where it gets me." The office had descended into silence, save for the occasional beeping of the datapad Vik was still messing with.

There wasn't much of a choice, not really; to keep Saresh from claiming Havoc was committing treason, they'd have to continue pushing through the Intelligence headquarters. Even without taking direct civilian casualties into consideration, there was also the fact they'd be effectively shutting down the evacuations from the surface.

Well, if she'd be accused of treason, why not commit it anyway?

"Go big or go home," she muttered, turning to face the rest of the squad. "Anyone interested in having a future with the Republic military should probably head out."

Aric's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What are you planning?"

"We figure out what's going on. If it's bad enough that the Imperials really think they have to run, we keep our people out. We _don't_ make things worse." Davri paused, jaw clenching as she waited for her squad's reactions. "Besides, it'll be easier to claim an empty building than one filled with evacuees and agents."

Forex was the first to show any sort of response, giving a dutiful bob and raising one of his arms. "Kick them while they're down. An excellent strategy, Major."

"Not exactly what I was going for, but I appreciate the enthusiasm." Davri glanced around at the others, her decision already gnawing at her; Garza's voice echoed in the back of her mind, loudly voicing her disapproval. She'd been in the military for close to twenty years, and hadn't ever come close to doing anything like this, but after seeing how shaken the Jedi were after Yavin 4 — the Grandmaster included — Davri couldn't just sit by as the former Emperor ravaged a planet.

And if the Sith were wrong, and this _wasn't_ the Emperor, well… it wouldn't be the first time she'd nearly ruined her career.

After a few terse moments of silence, Aric spoke up. "We may not be able to get Saresh to listen to reason, but the Imps might." He paused, lips twisting into a frown as if the words left a bad taste in his mouth. "We could coordinate with them, minimize Republic casualties."

Davri gave a thoughtful nod, relief flooding through her at Aric's agreement; it wasn't uncommon for them to not see eye-to-eye on missions, and neither was the sort to give any ground when it came to their ideals. In this, she was glad to have his support, however begrudging it might have been. "It's a good idea, and I think I know just who to contact." She keyed a frequency into the main terminal, still trying to push down the uncomfortable feeling of _wrongness_ about the whole situation.

As the holoterminal finally connected, Davri cleared her throat. "Agent Ven. Havoc Squad has a proposal for you."


	25. Chapter 25

_**A/N:** in which theron works for the dark council, davri works for the dark council, and kovach _doesn't _work for the dark council_

 _i actually really like this chapter. so. that's nice. also, i've officially started work on part three, which will cover the beginning of kotfe + the timeskip. it's... well. we're going full on fix-it fic for part three._

 _that said, i WILL get the rest of this fic out before kotet launches. i will. i promise._

* * *

"You have _what_ installed within the capital?"

"A complex system capable of electric—" Lana's words cut off with an impatient huff. "A weapon. Is that what you needed to hear?"

Theron shook his head, keeping his focus on the image of New Adasta on the display in front of him. Riling up Lana was very, _very_ low on his list of things to do at the moment, especially given the information she'd just revealed. "So, you have a giant system capable of mass murdering your own people. I thought we were doing our best _not_ to kill anyone?"

Giving a short nod, Lana tapped at her datapad before handing it off to Theron. "We should be able to… alter the output. Rework the system to produce a smaller, non-lethal shock, perhaps even one we can focus rather than unleashing it on the entire city."

The datapad held schematics for the weapon, along with statistics and readings for output and other aspects of the device. Theron scrolled through the pages, mind already working on a few possibilities for recalibrating the weapon. "So if we use this against everyone who's already been possessed…?"

"Theoretically, we should—"

Lana's answer was cut off by the doors sliding open without warning as Rei stormed into the room. Theron kicked himself for not looking further into the assistance the Dark Council had sent; her robes were torn and filthy and a bruise had formed on the side of her face, but it was without a doubt _Rei_ , scowling up at Lana with palpable irritation.

"Minister Beniko, we really need to discuss your—" Rei faltered as she caught sight of Theron, her brow furrowing and posture stiffening. As quickly as she'd stopped, her attention snapped back up to Lana and she continued as if she hadn't missed a beat. "—your definition of the word _plan_. Half the Council wants me to relieve you of your position for incompetency."

Lana's expression hardly changed, but even Theron could sense the shift in her mood. "When the Council has a _plan_ that goes beyond telling me to handle the situation, I'll gladly listen. And until we even know if the device held within the People's Tower is capable of what we need, we're proceeding with Kovach's plan."

"Kovach's plan," Rei echoed, her words dripping with sarcasm, "which consists of prodding the city's electrical grid until it overloads."

"Kovach knows what he's doing," Lana snapped before turning to Theron. "Figure out what we need, deal with Nox, and let me know when we can get started." With another sharp glance at Rei, Lana swept out of the room, already barking orders into her earpiece.

As good as it was to see Rei relatively unhurt — and to see her _at all_ , though somehow it wasn't too surprising that they'd both found themselves in the thick of things again — Theron wasn't entirely sure what to make of Lana's orders to _deal with her_. Rei was visibly upset, hands balled into fists at her side and practically fuming at the now-closed door; if this was Lana's attempt to redirect anger intended for her, well…

It was far from the worst Lana had done.

Besides, Theron wasn't entirely certain where he and Rei stood, not after Yavin. It had made things easier — after all, it wasn't as if there was a customary way to say goodbye to a Sith lord in that situation. Still, it was only that much more difficult to decide how to greet her _now_.

There was only one safe bet, in his mind — jump right in to the mission at hand. "I should've guessed you'd be the Council representative."

Without warning, Rei slammed the datapad she held into the wall opposite her, hard enough that it crumpled into a smoking mess of parts. " _Shut it_ , Kallig," she seethed, still staring at the wall as lightning crackled at her fingertips. "And I _know_ , that's why we're trying to stop this."

Theron fought the urge to take a step backwards; he was fairly certain — mostly — that her sudden outburst had little to do with him. "Rei?"

She glanced up, startled, as if she'd already forgotten he was there. "One… moment." Rei turned back to her right and groaned, "I've already told you, that won't work. I tried it on Oricon and you all hated it there, too. And Force help me, Zavros, that was _years_ ago and if you bring it up one more time—" She faltered, but shook her head and turned back to Theron with a shaky apology. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

There were important things to take care of — Kovach and the Council and Lana's plan — but Rei looked beyond exhausted, almost _unraveled_. That could take precedence, even if only for the moment. "Are you alright?" Theron would've offered some sort of comfort, but Rei was a bit too jumpy and her fingers were still sparking.

Rei gave one of her grins, as if she were about to wave the whole thing off, but it faded and she shook her head again. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine once I'm off Ziost. Spirits in my head, remember? It's—" She paused, shooting a stern glare towards the empty space she'd been lecturing a moment before. "We're a party, Vitiate's a crowd. So, ghosts, Theron. Theron, ghosts."

She gestured between Theron and the empty space beside her, and given the week he'd had, it was honestly far from the strangest thing to have happened. At the very least, he no longer had to wonder whether or not Rei had ever been telling the truth about sharing her consciousness with nearly half a dozen ghosts.

Though, he'd try not to think too much about _how_ exactly she came to house a handful of Sith spirits in her mind.

"The weapon," Rei exclaimed suddenly, as if she'd just had some sort of revelation about it. "Acina said she'll send over all the schematics and information the Science Bureau has, but it should all be redundant. Will it work?" she asked, beginning to frown. "Zaara says she thinks it should. I've been trying to find her to get more information, but…"

Theron held up the datapad as if in answer. "I'm looking over it."

"Good." She turned to leave, mumbling something about updating the Council. As the door slid shut, Theron wondered if he should've said something, _anything_ , other than falling into the familiar routine of putting work first.

But it was a moot point, he figured, and instead of dwelling on it pulled up an image of the city's superweapon, his mind already working on solutions.

* * *

Zaara frowned down at the message on her datapad, scrolling through pages of schematics and calculations and notes that Lana had sent her. She wouldn't argue with Lana — couldn't, not with the task ahead of them — but the four hours she'd been able to carve out for sleep had been cut down to…

Fifty six minutes, according to her chrono.

Vector was still asleep, snoring lightly and somehow looking even more contented than he usually did while awake; Zaara didn't want to disturb him, but also didn't want to run off again at the risk of worrying him. She settled for leaving a lengthy message, one that would cover the general situation without going into specifics. It wasn't the optimal solution, but they'd have to make do.

Besides, it was far from the first time she'd put a mission first.

After taking only a few moments to get ready, Zaara slipped out of the small room they'd been sleeping in and made her way up to the next level of the hospital. The area they'd set up as a command center was mostly empty — anyone not taking a few hours to sleep was on guard duty — but Captain Jorgan sat at one of the long tables, scrolling through a datapad, still fully armored though his rifle rested on the table beside him.

"Captain."

"Agent." Jorgan didn't quite _scowl_ — he was far too dignified for that, Zaara assumed — but the look he gave her was far from pleasant.

Zaara was too tired to do more than prepare some caf, shoulders slumping a bit in her exhaustion. Even with her training and the few discreet implants that were standard for Imperial cipher agents, there was a limit to how long she could go without sleep and still operate effectively, and she'd reached it about twelve hours ago. The brief nap and caf would help, but she'd be useless in the field without some decent rest.

As it was, she'd just tried filling the pot of caf with her empty mug instead of the other way around.

"How long has it been?"

The unspoken _since you've slept_ hung in the air and Zaara assumed the captain had noticed her mix-up. "Technically, about five minutes." Her mind worked to figure out Jorgan's intentions behind the question — _weakness? something about blasters. fatigue. —_ but the lines wouldn't connect and the only conclusion she could draw was the obvious one, that this was some combination of small-talk and trying to work out if her exhaustion would affect the mission. Turning to face Jorgan, she shrugged and decided for honesty. "Before that, about forty eight hours."

Jorgan gave a small _hmm_ but said nothing, his expression still one of unwavering disapproval. After a moment, he gave another noncommittal grunt and said, "It's a long op."

Without further comment of her own, Zaara sipped at her caf, suppressing a shudder at the lack of anything to sweeten the taste.

"Dav does this thing—" He paused, started again, "The major does this thing when she can't sleep, especially when we're on missions — she does word puzzles every night until she falls asleep. It's some psychological thing. Now whenever she pulls out one of the puzzles—"

"Everything shuts down and she's out five minutes later," Zaara interrupted, nodding. She figured she must have looked pretty damned tired to be getting advice from Jorgan. "Basic self-conditioning. It's a method I'm familiar with."

The disapproval lifted just a bit, and the cathar's features smoothed a fraction into what seemed to be understanding. "This isn't the first mission that's caused you to lose sleep," he observed, more a statement than a question.

Offering nothing more than a small shake of her head, Zaara took another long sip of her caf, grimacing at the heat on her tongue and throat. On the list of missions that kept her up at night, Ziost was quickly becoming number two behind only the year-long stint she'd done with the SIS.

Most of the time, she completed the mission and moved on — easier said than done, naturally.

"You're a good soldier, Captain," Zaara offered without pretense, some younger, more wistful version of herself feeling almost sorry for the situation Jorgan had found himself in. "A pain in my ass the past few years, but I respect you in a way I don't respect Major Sohms." It was difficult to hold on to a sense of ideals with the state the galaxy was in, but Jorgan had seemed to, and it made Zaara almost miss her early days in Intelligence.

But the rookie field agent with a habit of letting liabilities walk away wouldn't know what to do with Ziost.

The odd silence brought on by Zaara's uncomfortable praise ended abruptly as the major herself walked into the room, bags under her eyes and ponytail askew but expression one of intent. "We're pulling the Republic out of here and the Empire's going to help," she announced. "We're already giving orders to everyone we come across, but I can't stop the blockade without help."

" _Blockade_?" Zaara echoed.

"Phase one — Havoc secures Intelligence headquarters and shuts down planetary defenses. Phase two — troops on the ground. Phase three — blockade to prevent evacuations or reinforcements from off-planet. If phase three hasn't already begun, it will soon," Davri warned. "I've got to get in touch with Saresh, but she won't listen to me unless I bring her something good."

"Like Imperial assistance," Jorgan guessed, nodding slowly. He watched Davri for a moment longer, expression indecipherable as he turned to Zaara. "If there's anything that will ensure her cooperation, it's making sure the Imps get the short end of the deal."

Zaara sighed and closed her eyes, pinching at the bridge of her nose as she felt the beginnings of a stress-induced headache. "Ziost already _is_ the short end of the deal, Captain. But if there's a chance it'll get the Republic out of Imperial space, I'll give it a shot."

"Good." Davri placed a holocomm on the table, keying in a frequency and standing beside Zaara so they were the only ones in view. They waited, and as it connected Davri cleared her throat. "Supreme Chancellor. I'm sure you'll recognize Agent—"

"Assisting Imperial evacuations?" Saresh snapped, effectively cutting off Davri's introductions. "Firing on Republic troops? Handing over confidential information to the Empire's top agent? I expected better from you, Major Sohms."

Davri's expression only hardened. "All due _respect_ , Chancellor, I was acting in the interest of the Republic. I cannot, in good conscience, continue the attack on Ziost. We've lost too much, and we're losing even more. I should've backed out the first time I contacted you about the evacuations."

Saresh crossed her arms, unflinching as she met Davri's unwavering gaze. "Explain to me how that has anything to do with reports that you are actively fighting against Republic forces."

"They're not fighting for the Republic anymore. They're possessed — they're Vitiate's pawns," Davri insisted, voice low. "That's what we've been trying to tell you since we got here."

"All you've been telling me is that Havoc Squad is incapable of following orders."

Zaara chose that moment to step in, clearing her throat and addressing Saresh with what she hoped was something close to respect. "Supreme Chancellor, for what it's worth, I'm willing to send over preliminary reports on the possessions on behalf of Sith Intelligence. We have a better chance of getting out of here alive if we're at least not working _against_ each other." She ran through a list of any other relatively harmless information she could offer up; they clearly had a leak, either within Intelligence or within the Sith, and that devalued her offer considerably.

But Saresh simply frowned, unimpressed, and turned back to Davri. "I'm sure Garza will be pleased to hear you're continuing the tradition started by Major Tavus." The line blinked out, and Zaara could've sworn the temperature in the room dropped.

With a few unflattering comments towards the Chancellor, Davri stormed out of the room. She paused for a moment to call over her shoulder, "If we don't hurry up and kill Vitiate I'm gonna start taking it out on Imps."

* * *

Ration bars were a form of Imperial torture — of that, Rei was certain. She'd been picking at the same one for nearly a half hour, breaking off little pieces whenever her hunger got the better of her.

Rattataki, like twi'leks, could stomach just about anything. That didn't mean it was going to taste _good_.

She wouldn't even be eating it at all if it weren't for the fact that the majority of the group gathered in the command center had been bothering her about it all evening. The meeting was a close to an official briefing as any of them had received while on Ziost, and it left Rei almost as bored as she was hungry.

Cori and Kovach had returned from whatever it was that they'd been doing out in the capital — some sort of plan Kovach had worked up. They evidently hadn't been successful, and Zaara was now ensuring that everyone, the Dark Council included, was caught up on the situation. The new plan she was working on with Lana and Theron wasn't polished enough to share with the rest of them, though she assured them it would be worked out by the next morning.

As the meeting came to an end and the room slowly began to clear, Rei's silent ration bar brooding was interrupted by Theron joining her on the bench she'd claimed for herself. "How're you holding up?"

She broke off another piece of ration bar and popped it into her mouth. "Fine." It was _mostly_ the truth; after some rest and a bit of meditation, Rei had been able to once again quiet her Force ghosts, but the general atmosphere of Ziost was still taking its toll on her. "You?"

Theron pressed his lips together into a thin frown, taking a moment to answer. "Been better," he admitted. "Not that it matters, with all we've still got to take care of."

"You sound like Zaara," Rei commented, rolling her eyes. "Have you even been to a medic since you… What was it? Blew up your own shuttle?"

" _Strategically overloaded_ ," Theron corrected, neatly dodging the question. "Besides, I've somehow ended up with the Dark Council breathing down my neck. Which, by the way, is not something I'd ever anticipated saying."

Glaring down at the ration bar and breaking off another bite, Rei gave an exaggerated shrug and chewed for a few moments before answering. "It's worse when you're actually on the payroll." Theron's predicament was, in part, _her_ fault; it was possible that she'd overstated his importance during their brief meetings, in an attempt to offer what little protection to him she could. Presenting Theron as more of an asset than a liability was the only way she knew to keep the Council from… how had Ravage put it?

 _Dealing with the threats they had the power to end_.

Rei had managed a clever — in _her_ mind, at least — comeback about Vitiate being the only real threat, at which point a new report had come in and her argument met a rather final end as Marr declared Theron useful for the moment.

Her thoughts trailed from Theron to Marr to the Revanites, and she found herself frowning. "Should we… talk? About Yavin?"

Theron's expression became guarded, and the warmth he'd approached her with lessened somewhat. "What about it?"

"I was fairly certain I wouldn't ever see you again." Rei chewed at her lip; it was a poor excuse for the way she'd left, but it was also the truth. "But circumstances aside, I don't mind being proven wrong."

Some of the warmth returned, and Theron offered a tired smile. "That makes two of us. Circumstances aside."

"Good." Rei gave a little Force-assisted toss to the half-eaten ration bar she still held, sending it flying across the table in the center of the room. "And as enjoyable as it's been, please _don't_ make a habit of finding yourself in Imperial space," she added, shifting into a more comfortable position as she grabbed her datapad.

"Trust me, I don't plan on it. Too much paperwork involved." Theron held up his own datapad as if to make a point. "There's a form for _everything_. Trying to work through these schematics is a nightmare."

"I would help," Rei shrugged, "but it's a _recent_ giant weapon, not an _ancient_ one — completely out of my realm of expertise." She pulled up the notes sent to her by Zash — some from various Council meetings she'd missed over the past few days, some from a handful of potential helpful resources on both possessions and Vitiate, and the occasional odd request from some inconsequential, persistent Sith.

There was a lot to get through, and she likely only had a few hours to read through it all; after what seemed like the hundredth page covering evacuation procedure, Rei found herself slipping towards sleep, her exhaustion only exacerbated by the combination of the relative silence in the hospital, the continued efforts of suppressing her Force ghosts, and the warm presence of Theron beside her.

Rei couldn't be entirely certain when she actually gave in and fell asleep, but she woke up a few hours after the meeting had ended, curled up beside Theron in a way that left her neck aching. She pulled away just enough to stretch, mumbling out a sleepy apology.

"It's fine," Theron assured her, glancing up from his datapad, but he looked even more exhausted than Rei still felt. "Besides, it's not like I had anything better to do."

Rei leaned over and frowned at the datapad, its screen filled with schematics and calculations she wouldn't even pretend to understand. "The device in the People's Tower," she guessed.

"Yeah. Just have to figure out how to make a massive weapon less… lethal."

In a slightly more lucid state, Rei might've had some advice, given her relative experience in the art of shocking people; in her post-nap haze, she simply shrugged. "I could consult the Council. I'm sure _some_ sort of science went into designing it. Or," she considered with another shrug, "it simply puts out the biggest charge possible. Depends on who ordered its creation."

Theron sighed. "No time. If we want to get everything recalibrated, we'll have to head over in a couple hours. It would take too long to figure this all out again. It's just…" He trailed off, running a hand through his already-mussed hair in frustration. "We get one shot at this. Once we trigger the device, it goes through the entire capital."

"Hmm." Rei tilted her head to look at the datapad again, then up at Theron; it was almost comforting, and oddly endearing, to see the tired determination in his expression. A spark of pride shot through her, and she reached over to give one of his hands a light squeeze. "It'll work." Even as she spoke, she could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

Offering comfort that didn't revolve around bloodlust, revenge, and ensuring someone's slow death wasn't exactly Rei's strong point; _that_ was easy, _this_ felt like spouting false hope.

But to her surprise, Theron gave a short laugh. "Yeah. It has to."

She was in the middle of trying to figure out something else encouraging to say when Zaara walked past, calling out orders she did. The agent stopped, listened on her earpiece, and motioned to Rei. "Nox, I want you and Temple to scout out the People's Tower. Lana's worked out the last bit of the plan, and we want to move first thing in the morning."

Rei scowled at the interruption, but it didn't last long and she trudged after Zaara, following her through the mostly empty hallways as the agent spouted off coordinates and plans and orders. "Where's Temple," Rei asked, "can I take one of my people, and _where_ exactly are we going?"

"Meeting with Lana, no because I can't trust them, and to find Kovach." Irritation crept into Zaara's voice. "He's been gone for almost an hour, and I—" She cut off, turning abruptly to a door with the telltale blue light of a holo creeping out from the bottom. The door slid open, and in the corner of the room stood Kovach, pleading with the flickering image of Saresh. Zaara stepped into the room, glancing back towards Rei and holding a finger over her lips.

"Even the Council is cooperating, Chancellor. They—"

"Of _course_ they are," Saresh interrupted. "The Empire stands to lose a planet, Agent. Why wouldn't they make deals to get the Republic out?"

Kovach shook his head. "It has nothing to do with the Empire. It's the possessions — we're losing more soldiers to Vitiate than to the Imperial military."

"I've told you — when you have a report with concrete information, I'll listen. Until then, I expect you to do your job."

With that, Saresh's image blinked out and Zaara, hands clasped behind her back, cleared her throat loudly. Kovach whirled around, expression falling as he caught sight of the agent. "Interesting," Zaara said thoughtfully. "I'd figured it was Theron you were working for, but this is far better."

"You knew?" Rei made the demand at the same time as Kovach's quiet statement.

"I assumed. Agents like you are either young or spying for someone else." She shrugged. "You didn't really tip me off until I assigned you to work with Cori, though. It _will_ be a shame to lose someone of your skills."

"You're going to kill me." There wasn't a hint of doubt or question in his voice.

Rei could already feel lightning beginning to spark at the edges of her fingertips, but Zaara shook her head. "We need you, unfortunately, and stopping Vitiate is far more important than you getting the fate you deserve."

Kovach let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank you, Agent Ven, I—"

" _Don't_ thank me," Zaara cut him off sharply. "Once Ziost has been taken care of, I'm handing you over to Nox. If you're lucky, she _may_ even kill you."


	26. Chapter 26

_**A/N:** in which lord kallig is pissed, zaara is pissed, cori is pissed, just- _everybody _is pissed off_

 _also, more rambling at the end but most importantly: I'm finished, I'm thinking maybe monday/thursday updates for the last few chapters so that I actually finish posting this thing before kotet._

* * *

Rei sat on the railing at the edge of the roof of the People's Tower, legs dangling down over New Adasta. Jumping off was looking more and more appealing, given Kallig's current tantrum. She'd been mostly able to keep the spirits at bay, but the combination of exhaustion and stress was enough that a persistent enough ghost could slip through her walls.

And Kallig was nothing if not _persistent_.

Without looking back, Rei asked, "How's it look, Theron?"

"Good." He didn't exactly sound confident in his answer. "Actually, there's a bit of a power fluctuation— Temple, could you…?"

The ensign complied without argument, and Rei rolled her eyes; their mission to scout out the tower had quickly devolved into Temple helping out Theron with the recalibrations to the weapon while Rei kept watch. Kallig, who'd been off behind Rei, now appeared in front of her, floating out in the empty space beyond the tower roof.

"Go away."

"You disappoint me, my child," Kallig frowned. "I tasked you with finding glory and power, with rebuilding my legacy—"

"I've done pretty well," Rei pointed out, waving her hand towards Kallig and sending a little spark of lighting towards him. "Go away."

Kallig hadn't ever been easily deterred; unimpressed, he crossed his arms and continued to float just beyond Rei's reach. "You have power, but not the respect or fear you require. And what of your legacy, flesh of my flesh? What—"

"You know I hate when you call me that."

"—do you have to leave behind? None of your apprentices are satisfactory. You quash the potential that comes with a chained Deshade. Your followers run amok, without proper supervision and management. And even now, you distract yourself with the weak and the Force-blind!" Kallig gestured off behind Rei, and she assumed he was motioning towards Theron. "Raised by _Jedi_ ," he grumbled, as if the concept was innately offensive.

Rei sent a second little spark towards Kallig. He'd always been her least favorite of the spirits, having come to her so willingly and taking everything so _personally_ , as if she continually set out with the goal of ruining anything and everything Kallig wanted.

And he acted like he _owned_ her, sometimes, like she belonged to him through their shared name — a name Rei had only accepted to ensure her citizenship within the Empire but shunned otherwise.

"Yes, yes, we've been through this twice today already," Rei pointed out. "And how many times did I hear this little rant about Andronikos?"

She could sense Kallig's rage at the mention of Andronikos' name. "A _pirate_ ," he seethed.

"See? I'd call this a step up, really."

"At least your pirate did not bow to the Republic."

Rei motioned out over New Adasta. "You call this mess _bowing to the Republic_?"

Kallig crossed his arms again, and Rei could practically hear his scowl as he spoke. "You disappoint me," he repeated, having no new argument to offer, "and do my legacy a disservice."

"Go _away_." Rei hopped off the railing onto the roof, making her way over to where Theron was still working. She was _tired_ of listening to Kallig, and if she could find a way to frustrate him into leaving her alone, she would. Feigning disinterest, Rei leaned down to pick up a datapad from where it sat on the ground beside Theron. She read over the schematics again, glancing between the plans and the actual mechanism Theron was adjusting.

It still didn't make any sense. She sighed.

"Hey, do me a favor?" Theron asked, not looking up. "When this is all over, have the Dark Council update their information on all their other giant, hidden weapons. I'm just going to go ahead and assume you have more stashed all over the galaxy."

She gave a thoughtful _hmm_. "Yes, Darth Marr? The New Adastan superweapon was too difficult for the SIS to sabotage. How could we fix that?"

"The sabotage is going just _fine_ ," he insisted, somewhat defensively. "It would've been easier with correct schematics, is all I'm saying."

Before Rei could tease him further, she was distracted by the odd sensation she'd come to recognize as Jedi corrupted by Vitiate. There were two, from what she could tell, and they were making their way rather quickly up through the People's Tower. "Vitiate seems to be sending us company."

Theron frowned and cursed under his breath. "We're not ready."

"The weapon isn't," Rei countered, "but I am. Ensign, with me. We'll stop them."

"Yes, my lord."

"Rei."

She glanced back to find Theron watching her, his expression a mix of apprehension and concern. "Yes?"

"Look, I know it's what you _do_ , but maybe—" His words cut off with a sharp sigh, and Theron frowned as he glanced off past Rei. "Maybe don't kill them?"

Rei blinked; the request was completely unexpected, yet somehow not at all surprising. They were in the middle of Imperial space, working under the guidance of the Dark Council against near-impossible odds to stop the immortal former emperor — and yet Theron was asking a Sith to spare a handful of Jedi. It was such an odd, predictable, _stupid_ request, but it was one Rei would grant.

She wondered just how, exactly, she'd found herself in this position, doing things because somehow Theron had become more important than her own convenience or profit.

"I'll make an exception, I suppose," Rei decided, giving a dramatic sigh. "As long as this doesn't turn into a habit."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Theron promised, his voice filled with relief though his expression changed little. "It's just— It's my fault they're even here. They shouldn't have to—"

Trying not to roll her eyes, Rei stepped forward and tugged Theron down for a kiss, effectively cutting off whatever self-critical argument he was about to launch into. "Save it," she suggested, pulling away as quickly as she'd approached. "You Republic types and your _guilt_ — it's exhausting." She turned to join Temple, squashing down any satisfaction she felt at leaving Theron at least somewhat flustered.

"I've accessed the few security cameras that are still functional," Temple reported as they entered the elevator. "From what I can tell, the Jedi you sensed are alone."

Rei didn't _sense_ Temple's curiosity — the agent was too guarded for that — but she could _hear_ it, in her voice. "You have something to say, Ensign?" she asked, confident that Temple would understand what she was referring to.

"No, my lord." But there was a lightness to her voice, a sort of amusement that contradicted her words. "It's just that Zaara likes her mission reports to be quite thorough."

She snorted. "Zaara wouldn't _dare_ add that to an official report. No one would believe her."

* * *

The trip to the People's Tower was as silent as a shuttle ride could get in the middle of a warzone. Cori sat with her arms crossed, not looking up from the floor. Kira sat beside her, close enough that their shoulders touched, and occasionally reached out through the Force to offer what little comfort she could. Lana and Zaara sat opposite them, both focused on datapads.

It was a good plan, the idea that Lana had come up with. Draw out the Emperor by offering up someone as bait — someone whose presence Vitiate wouldn't be able to resist. The _obvious_ choice, chosen almost unanimously between those in charge back at the New Adastan base, had been Lys. It did make sense, given that she was the Emperor's former Wrath — or _Vitiate's favorite lackey_ , as Davri had put it.

But Cori hadn't been able to agree. With the exception of Kira and Doc, no one in that room had known about her… unique relationship with Vitiate. Explaining to a roomful of Sith and Imperials that she'd been the reason for their Emperor's original disappearance was almost as difficult as facing him in the first place.

She hadn't wanted anyone's pity, but it would've been nice to have gotten _some_ response; neither Zaara or Lana had spoken more than two words to her.

Without warning, Zaara set her datapad loudly on the empty seat beside her. "You'd better hope we never need another alliance like we did on Yavin." The words were curt and cold and clearly meant for Cori. "Because the next time I see Satele, I'm going to kill her."

Lana admonished her with a quiet _Zaara_ at the same time that Kira leaned forward and demanded, "And just _what_ does Satele have to do with any of this?"

Zaara stood to pace, occasionally pausing to turn and gesticulate as she spoke. "Apologies if I don't know _all_ the details about every top secret Jedi mission, but I'm going to go ahead and guess that Satele's the one who sent you to Dromund Kaas? Did she even give you a choice?" She shook her head. "Or is it one of those Jedi choices, where they guilt you into it regardless of what you actually want?"

"I chose to lead the mission," Cori assured her, putting a great deal of her focus into keeping her voice level. "No one _guilted_ me into anything. I spent almost eight months preparing for the assault — I knew what I was getting into."

"Did you? Can you honestly say the mission went exactly as expected?"

"None of us could know—"

"Exactly." Zaara scowled, turning away from Cori. "The blind leading the blind."

Defensive anger sparked through her. "How many times has Intelligence sent you on jobs where you're in over your head? Or where they don't give you all the details?"

Something in her words resonated with Zaara; the agent was silent, shoulders tensing and a flash of… fear? emanating from her. "Imperial Intelligence is the backbone of the Empire," she said finally, voice low, "and if they keep information from an agent, it's not because they don't have it. It's for the good of the agent. For their safety."

"Couldn't the same be said of the Jedi?" Kira offered diplomatically. "That we're the backbone of the Republic? That some knowledge is better suited for masters than padawans?"

"This isn't the time for a philosophical discussion," Lana interjected, frowning. "We're nearly at the People's Tower, and once there we'll need to act quickly. We only have one chance at this."

Cori knew she was right, but almost didn't want to drop the subject; having Zaara upset with her — or, more accurately, at the _Jedi_ for what they'd done to her — was, in a way, better than being completely ignored. But Lana had a point, and neither Cori nor Kira said anything further, and the last few minutes of their shuttle ride continued in silence. Cori nearly said something, just for the sake of making _some_ sort of noise, but decided against it; things were too tense as it was.

Really, she wanted to speak with Lana. There was nothing in specific they needed to discuss — unless Lana felt the need to bring up Cori's revelation about attacking the Emperor, which was a topic Cori wanted to avoid. They simply hadn't had much time together since Cori's arrival on Ziost, and their relationship hardly seemed important, given the state of things on the planet.

Still, if they could have just _one_ night, or afternoon, or even just an hour…

Cori shook her head, mentally berating herself for being so distracted. There were reasons Jedi were encouraged to avoid attachments, reasons Cori found herself meditating on often, and her current state of mind was one of them.

But Vitiate's constant presence was a somewhat _sobering_ influence, and Cori's focus had returned by the time the group stepped out into the People's Tower. It was a short trek up to one of the upper levels, where an empty conference room with a large holoterminal waited. Lana ran through the plan again — get Vitiate's attention, make their way up to the roof, let the electrostatic weapon handle the rest — before making some adjustments to the holoterminal.

"There. It should transmit to most of the capital, now, and the audio will go through the emergency broadcast signal as well."

Cori frowned. "And this will be enough to alert everyone under Vitiate's influence?"

"It projects an enormous hologram outside the People's Tower," Lana explained. "It's meant for speeches and announcements and other public events, but I think it'll do for this, yes."

Cori stepped forward, glancing back at Lana before turning the holoprojector on. "Vitiate," she spoke, enunciating clearly, "time and time again you've tried to get the better of me. You've tried to infect my mind and twist my will. In some ways, you've been my best teacher — I've learned much from the mistakes I've made in your presence. I feared you once, Vitiate, but no longer. I may have failed in every attempt I've made to rid the galaxy of your power, but that doesn't mean I'll stop trying. I will cut you down again and again and again — I will _never_ stop hunting you, if that's what it takes." She took a deep breath, centering herself. "So come find me, and let's see who walks away this time."

Nodding, Lana ended the transmission, looking mostly satisfied; Zaara, by comparison, still looked upset at the entire situation. "I'm almost hoping this doesn't work," she admitted, voice quiet with unease. "I hate thinking that the _Emperor_ has his full focus on destroying _you_."

"It won't be the first time," Cori reminded her. "And this time I'll be among allies." The words didn't seem to comfort Zaara much and, truthfully, they didn't bring much comfort to Cori, either.

* * *

There was a sudden clarity as Surro fell, the pressure on Rei's mind lessening all at once as Vitiate's presence dissipated. It was still, and the rooftop was silent as the Jedi collapsed onto her hands and knees, gasping and crying out.

Rei left her lightsaber ignited for a moment longer, her eyes sweeping across the others as she caught her breath. Temple was helping Theron to his feet, Lana seemed no worse for wear, and Zaara was dusting herself off. Cori, however, was already moving to the center of the rooftop; she half-ran to meet Surro, dropping to her knees beside the other Jedi as she crumpled to the ground.

"Get back, Jedi," Rei ordered, clipping her saber back to her belt and beginning to walk towards the pair.

But her words were drowned out by Surro's own protests, as she insisted over and over again that she could see nothing but the atrocities Vitiate had committed with her own hands. "I'll never be free of him," Surro declared, latching onto Cori, her hands grabbing at her robes as she buried her face in the togruta's shoulder. "I'll never be free of any of this."

"Yes you will," Cori promised. Her voice grew even quieter as she added, "You _can_ get past this."

Rei opened her mouth to repeat her order for Cori to move back, but the words fizzled out as Theron knelt beside the two Jedi, taking one of Surro's hands and offering some measure of comfort. "You'll be fine, Master Surro. We'll take you back to Tython, get this all sorted out."

"I'm afraid we can't allow that, Theron." Lana joined the rest of them, Zaara and Temple close behind. She raised a hand to tuck her frazzled hair behind one ear, frowning. "We haven't seen any others possessed so directly by Vitiate. At the very least, we need to monitor her."

" _Monitor_?"

"Yes," Zaara decided, pausing briefly as she studied her sister. "I'd be willing to work out an agreement for Surro's return to the Republic, but not yet."

"There's much her state of mind could reveal about the nature of Vitiate's power," Lana agreed. "She doesn't need to remain with the Empire long for us to understand it."

Cori and Theron both looked up at the mention of Surro's mind, speaking over each other as they argued against holding Surro on Ziost. Their debating quickly spiraled into weak protests and vague threats and, ultimately, was only postponing a decision. And through it all, Surro muttered and cried to herself, still clinging to Cori like a lifeline.

They were wasting time, and they didn't even know how effective the electrostatic weapon had been or if Surro could even be useful; she was a liability, and there was no way to predict how quickly Vitiate could re-possess her. Rei nearly threw her hands up in frustration. "Why not just _kill_ her, then?" she suggested, tone sharp. "She's no use to us like this. Even less so if the Jedi get their hands on her."

Four seething _No_ 's of disapproval all came at once.

"She's the most useful thing on this whole planet," Lana countered. "She's the only one we know of so far to be possessed by Vitiate to this extent — she could tell us things that would take us days to piece together otherwise."

"And why do I get the feeling," Theron snapped, "that you won't get this information by asking politely?"

"You aren't taking her." Cori's voice was quiet, but firm and filled with conviction, and she looked up to glare directly at Zaara. "None of you could know what she's going through or what she needs. We're taking her to Tython."

Lana crossed her arms, her jaw set. "We don't even know if it's possible for a Jedi to recover from corruption on this level. We would lose our best chance at stopping Vitiate, and there's no way to tell if anyone on Tython can even help her. You can have her when we're through," she added after a moment.

Scowling, Rei briefly debated attempting to speak up again; they were standing on a roof, arguing amongst themselves, when they needed to determine the effect of the weapon and get back to the mission — not to mention the fact that the rest of the Council would likely be expecting an update.

But Cori continued with whatever point she was trying to make. "The Jedi _can_ help her."

It was Zaara, this time, who argued against the idea. "We don't know if—"

" _I_ do."

"Cori—"

"I know they can," she insisted, "because they've helped me. If they can heal four months of being under the Emperor's control, they can heal Surro." As she spoke, her gaze lowered to once again look at the Jedi she was cradling, her frown softening as her anger seemed to dissipate.

The tension on the rooftop lessened, replaced by mild shock and unease from Zaara, Lana, and Theron; it was Zaara who spoke first, a slight waver to her voice. "Four months," she repeated. "Before Belsavis. The Jedi declared you missing in action, and I thought you were dead, and… it was Vitiate?"

"This isn't the time or place," Lana interjected gently, having recovered from her brief moment of disbelief.. "For any of this, perhaps. If we return to the orbital station, get Surro away from Vitiate's presence, she should be safe. We can discuss her fate then."

"And report in to the Council," Rei added, glad they were finally moving on; this whole thing had been a waste of time, and it was leaving her restless. "Maybe one of you could contact Saresh, see if she might cooperate now that we're all out of plans."

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _whoo so! a couple of things to get out of the way:_

 _1) whhhhy exactly is surro so important when there's a planet full of jedi/sith/troopers being possessed? I don't believe we're given a solid reason in game? or I missed it? (which is possible) so this is my half-assed attempt at reasoning_

 _2) apologies (again) for taking a couple weeks to get this out. I was ready last week, and then Politics happened and. well. it was a rough few days. but!_

 _3) I am officially, 100%,_ finished _with ostensibly! well, the writing part, at least. 27 and 28 are edited, 30 is done and waiting to be edited, and 29 is... written. It needs a lot of work. but it's done._


	27. Chapter 27

_**A/N:**_ _in which i try to write saresh as not entirely incompetent, rei makes some threats, and vitiate is a dick_

* * *

Cori did her best not to fidget. The conference room within the orbital station was packed; she stood off to the right side of the room with T7, Theron, and most of Havoc Squad, while Zaara, Ensign Temple, Captain Quinn, and Darth Nox and her mirialan apprentice stood further to the left.

They were crowded around the holoterminal in the center of the conference table, waiting for the call to go through. A small holoprojector on the table displayed Darth Marr's image as he stood, arms crossed, silently waiting alongside the rest of them.

When Saresh finally appeared on the terminal, she surveyed the assembled group with some surprise, before turning to focus on Davri. "Major Sohms. Agent Shan. I hope you both know I've already alerted—"

"Supreme Chancellor, please just listen," Cori interrupted, the sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach giving her reason enough to speak out of turn. "I know you want to do right by the Republic, and that's a noble goal, but you have to understand — remaining on Ziost is _not_ the right thing."

"Which is a nice way of saying we need to get the hell out of here," Davri added.

Saresh waited, her expression one of almost boredom; when no others spoke up, she pointed out, "Neither of you are in a position to make demands of me." Placing one hand on her hip, she took a long look at the group before speaking again. " _Understand_ , Master Cori, that you and Major Sohms are _not_ the only two reporting to me. I have a far better grasp of the situation than you give me credit for."

Nox scoffed. " _Nobody_ has any sort of grasp on this situation, Chancellor. And speaking of people reporting to you — how long has it been since you heard from your man in Intelligence?"

Cori felt her eyes widen in concern, but said nothing; she had no way to know if Nox was referring to Kovach, and accidentally exposing him wouldn't do much to help with their negotiations.

"Instead of throwing around threats, why don't we share the data we've collected, hm?" Zaara suggested, tone impatient, as she motioned to Theron. She ran through various numbers and figures about evacuations, possessions, and casualties, with the occasional input from Theron, Temple, or Marr. Even though Cori already knew the specifics — she'd been _living_ the statistics, knew that there were too many deaths no matter which way they broke it down, knew that _five percent of the capital population evacuated_ was both an unbelievably large number and far too small a number — hearing it all again, all together and organized into neat little pieces, was enough to make her stomach churn.

She had a brief thought, that perhaps she shouldn't be up here in the defense center, but still down fighting on the planet's surface. But she wasn't, and wouldn't be until they'd reached an accord with Saresh; Cori's team, along with the teams of most everyone gathered for the meeting, had been recalled from Ziost for the time being. Zaara had cheerily called it "forced teamwork," but Cori suspected the Empire just wanted to be able to keep an eye on the few Republic allies they had.

As Zaara's reports came to an end, Saresh frowned and considered her words before speaking. "…I see. It seems my sources were wrong. If that much of the capital is compromised, then perhaps it's in the Republic's best interests to cut our losses."

"The Empire will hold no prisoners," Marr spoke, "and will allow the Republic to withdraw unhindered, for the time being. Any Republic forces remaining in Imperial space after forty-eight hours will be dealt with appropriately."

"That's hardly fair," Saresh countered. "If the possessions are as wide-spread as you claim, there will be hundreds of our soldiers under the Emperor's influence. What about them? Am I expected to just _leave_ them at the Empire's mercy?"

"Vitiate is _not_ our Emperor. And we can discuss the terms for those who remain _after_ the situation is under control."

Mind once again focused solely on the situation at hand, Cori took a careful step forward. "Darth Marr, my team and I have been assisting here on Ziost for several days now. If it's agreeable, we could stay after the— after _Vitiate_ is gone, and help to escort the remainder of the Republic off-planet."

Zaara tossed her a cautionary look, one that said _what are you doing?,_ but when she spoke it was directed at Saresh. "Your forty-eight hours are wasting, Chancellor. I'd suggest taking what you've been offered and having this argument later."

Saresh stared down at Zaara, lekku twitching in what Cori recognized as irritation. "The Republic won't be strong-armed into surrender, Agent. I'll call off the blockade, for forces will withdraw as well, but we won't be leaving orbit until we've come to an agreement regarding our possessed soldiers."

As the negotiations wrapped up, Cori found herself almost dizzy with relief. She pushed her way out of the conference room as soon as she was able to leave, needing what little open space the hangar bay offered and heading straight to her ship.

"She still won't listen?" Kira guessed as Cori approached.

"No, she did. I'm just afraid it's just too little, too late." Cori leaned up against the side of the hanger bay, her breathing still shallow and her head beginning to spin a bit; whether it was still relief or the return of her nerves, she wasn't sure. "No one has any new ideas about Vitiate, though. I think Nox is going to meet with the rest of the Dark Council right now, and after that I'll try to speak to Satele."

"Satele?"

Eyes going wide, Cori looked around for the source of the quietly excited voice. Giving a little sigh, Kira stepped to the side and revealed a young human girl who'd been standing behind her. "Karina, meet Cori. Cori, 's been hiding by our ship since we got here." Kira gave Cori a warning glance. "Her parents haven't gotten off planet yet."

Immediately, she felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. Kneeling down so they were eye-level with each other, Cori asked, "Do you know how to contact them? Or any other family we could find?" If she concentrated, she could feel — between the already crowded orbital station and the general havoc Vitiate's presence was causing her senses — a faint Force connection from Karina.

If the Sith hadn't discovered her yet, they would soon, and the thought made Cori shudder.

"No," Karina insisted, hands balling into little fists at her side. "I don't _wanna_ go back to them."

Kira sighed again. "Her parents are mean. They're gonna send her to the Sith. Sith are bad, so are Jedi. And farmers. And growing up, and…" She paused to think. "Capes?"

Karina nodded vigorously, her caramel pigtails bobbing up and down. "They're not swooshy enough," she informed Cori.

Cori glanced up at Kira, then back to Karina. "Well, you have to have _someone_ we can contact—" She trailed off as Karina began shaking her head again. "Then, just… stay with 'll figure something out." She stood, beginning to search through the crowds for Zaara; if anyone could find a suitable place for the child, it was her sister.

As a sort of stray thought, Cori noticed that Vitiate was no longer prodding at the edge of her mind. But it was more than that — he wasn't just not pushing against her, but he was _gone_. Reaching out, Cori couldn't find any trace of the former Emperor, even after closing her eyes to search across the planet below.

As suddenly as Vitiate's presence had disappeared, it returned, dark and overwhelming but somehow distant; Cori could feel the heavy pull of the Emperor on Ziost even from the orbital station.

It was only a moment after she'd processed Vitiate's return that she first felt the screams.

* * *

Zaara tapped at her earpiece, not expecting an answer but hoping for one anyway. "Watcher Three?"

Static.

She tried once, twice again before giving up, folding her arms tightly and continuing to stare out the window of the orbital station. Even after the planet quieted, Zaara hadn't been able to tear her eyes away from the lifeless remainders of Ziost; it was wrong and it was empty and it was _sick_ , but the planet just kept staring up at her, mocking.

As if the reactions from the various Sith and Jedi on the orbital station hadn't been enough of a confirmation, the first thing Zaara had done after the dust had settled on the surface was turn to the scanners.

 _No registered life forms._

They could search the planet, scan the ruins, run tests on the remains — something, _anything_ would be better than the current shell-shocked inaction.

She knew it would hit her, too, in a few days, the same way it had with the Eradicators all those years ago. She'd wake up in the middle of the night with an acute sense of _danger terror run_ and she'd hug her pillow to her chest and struggle to breathe and it would be _too much_. She'd spend the rest of the night wondering just why she ever started working for Intelligence, why she willingly accepted such an unforgiving job. Then she'd fall asleep, and everything would resume without interruption the next day.

Zaara had a job to do, and she had to hold herself together long enough to figure out how to hold the _Empire_ together.

For now, she had an orbital station filled with terrified civilians, no possible way to draw up a casualty report, and a sister who'd emptied her stomach on Lokin. Twice.

The events on the surface seemed to have affected those with any Force sensitivity far worse than the others; Lys, for her part, was tirelessly working to get as many ships out of the station as possible in the brief window they'd been given. She looked far too pale and her eyes were bloodshot and, according to Quinn, she'd nearly passed out, but that hadn't stopped her.

Lana had… recovered, though she was still visibly shaken and Zaara could see her sway on her feet. She had finally hit the point where she was exhausted enough that she no longer tried to handle everything herself; instead, she delegated, dividing up tasks between whichever apprentices and agents had made it off-planet.

Rei was another story entirely. Zaara had been with her on Oricon, when she'd crumpled under the combined influence of the Dread Masters and the ghosts already within her mind. This was almost as bad. There was less incoherent screaming and infuriated cursing at invisible entities, but she'd latched on to Andronikos and buried her face in his shirt and hadn't moved. On Oricon, Zaara might have seen that as a mercy, but this wasn't that first mission and now she knew Rei too well to be comforted.

Zaara had checked up on Raina, as well; the ensign was shaken but not overwhelmed, and Zaara had been content to send her straight back to work.

As for Zaara, she kept staring down at the planet. She would pull herself away, in time; for now, she wanted to burn the image of Ziost into her mind, sear the emptiness and death into her memories.

She wasn't Sith, but she could appreciate the idea of using her rage to fuel her.

It was another good two or three minutes before Zaara forced herself to attend to the orbital station. It was chaos — but everything was chaos, for the moment — but she couldn't afford to lose focus. Ultimately, her duties hadn't changed, and she still had to finish evacuating and ensure that the Republic was out of Imperial space in the next forty-eight hours.

Some might suggest leniency, given the circumstances, but Zaara wouldn't allow it. The last thing they needed was for the Empire to look weak, and if Saresh decided to resume making demands — as any clever leader _would_ , in the aftermath of such an event — they would have to stand firm.

Worst case, they'd start with hostages. Major Sohms would look good in a holding cell, Zaara thought.

But that was all just speculation, for the moment, and Zaara had more pressing concerns — like getting word to Kaas City. Turning from the window, she searched through the hangar bay until she found Lana, eager to throw herself back into work. "We've wasted enough time," she stated plainly.

"I agree. First, we'll need to contact the Dark Council." Lana barely looked up as Zaara approached, scrolling through one datapad while a second sat in front of her. "It's likely they're already aware, but… they'll need details."

"Which details? How we have no idea exactly what happened, how we lost a good percentage of the upper portions of Intelligence hierarchy, or how Saresh had a spy working directly under the Minister of Intelligence?"

The words came out more accusatory than Zaara had intended, but Lana wasn't the least bit shaken. "All of it, but I'd suggest first sending a preliminary report of what we _do_ know, along with anyone of importance who's still alive. And," she added, almost without thought, "tell me, at least, that Kovach is dead? You didn't waste any time with him?"

"He had a job to do. He was working in the capital with Kartier. I'm assuming Vitiate took both of them."

Lana sighed, though it seemed to be more out of relief than anything. "Good. That's _one_ thing taken care of, at least. Now we just have to deal with everything else."

* * *

"Don't focus on any of that." Vrynn's words were quiet, her hands cool on Rei's face. "That's over. Focus on me, and focus on Andronikos."

For such an otherwise timid apprentice, Vrynn was proving to be quiet the healer. She'd recovered impossibly quickly from Vitiate's… from what he did to Ziost, and had moved throughout the orbital station to soothe and heal and comfort anyone who needed it.

Rei would've been proud, if she hadn't been more concerned about the chaos within her own mind. But Vrynn was right — it was over, and Vitiate's brief but stifling presence was gone. Between whatever Force trick Vrynn was using and the warm, solid feel of Andronikos' hand in hers, Rei had worked out a way to quiet her spirits.

But she could still _feel_ it — the spirits and Vitiate and all those deaths — like a ghost at the edge of her consciousness.

She gave Vrynn a light push away and some instructions to go help Quinn or some other medic, and let her head rest on Andronikos' chest. "It shouldn't have happened."

His hold on her tightened just a bit, in a way that was both comforting and grounding. "You did everything you could, Rei."

"That's my _point_."

"I know."

She relaxed a bit, then, comforted somewhat by the fact that Andronikos _did_ know, that she didn't have to explain the frustration and the terror roiling within her. The last time she'd felt like this — truly powerless — had been when Thanaton had left her for dead in his meditation chambers, when Andronikos had carried her body through the Citadel and nothing but the spite and humor of a handful of Force ghosts had kept her breathing.

Rei had been powerless before; it wasn't a sensation she was unfamiliar with. As a girl, enslaved aboard an Imperial luxury cruiser, or as a teen, locked in fighting ring after fighting ring, or even as an apprentice, bound to Zash's every word because she was still learning now to not cling to a master — Rei hadn't had a choice, then, not really; but here, and with Thanaton, it had been different, because she'd done _everything_ she could, had fought with every ounce of her strength, and she'd still found herself bested.

There was nothing that terrified her more than having all her accumulated power become useless. Even just the thought was beginning to make her restless, and Rei pulled away from Andronikos, offering only a small smile as an unspoken explanation. She left under the pretense of helping, flitting through the station and briefly checking in with everyone she needed to see. It was too much to ask who'd gone back to the surface — she didn't want to know, not yet, not now, she just needed to see who was still there, still safely on the station.

Havoc was fine. A bit jumpy, perhaps, but when Rei came across them, Major Sohms gave a solemn nod and a promise to be gone as soon as the Imperials wanted. The Jedi that trailed after Cori offered a similar promise, though Rei hadn't yet seen Cori herself. She found the Wrath still working with the refugees, and found Ashara and Jaesa working alongside Quinn. Zaara's people were spread out but Rei was almost certain she encountered each of them; Zaara herself was deep in conversation with Lana, standing at the far end of the hangar bay and motioning stiffly to the planet below.

It wasn't until she couldn't find him that she realized she'd been looking for Theron, and after another loop around the hangar, she finally spotted him, arms crossed and staring down at Ziost.

"Your Jedi," Rei began, pausing to clear her throat. "Did many of them make it?"

At first, Theron gave no indication that he'd heard, but shook his head after a moment. "Just the ones taken prisoner. There's four, I think. And Master Surro."

"I can clear them for transfer," she offered, hoping to be of some help. "Even Surro, as long as Lana hasn't already taken off with her."

"That's a long way from _we should just kill her_."

A sharp response sat on the tip of her tongue, but Rei held it back; this wasn't the time, and perhaps Theron did have a point. "The stakes have changed," she stated plainly. She was in no hurry to kill anyone, not now, and she was fairly certain giving up one Jedi wouldn't do much against Vitiate.

And really, all logic aside, Rei saw it as a favor to Theron.

She wasn't sure he agreed, given the way he frowned and didn't quite look at her. "Just like that?"

"Ah, yes, the untrusting spy — I should've seen it coming," she teased, forcing a lightness into her voice. Already, Rei was tired of the whole situation, of the tension between them and the general stressed atmosphere of the station. She wanted to _do_ something, if only just to occupy her mind for a short time. "Come on."

Rei led the way to the med clinic-slash-prison that had been fashioned for the Jedi they were holding, occasionally glancing back at Theron. He hadn't followed right away, clearly doubting Rei's sincerity. "The prisoners leave with Theron," she announced as they entered, bringing a halt to the flurry of activity in the med center. "Prepare transport and release them, and do not ask questions."

One of the medics spoke up uncertainly. "But, my lord, Minister Beniko and Agent—"

Almost without thinking, one of Rei's hands shot up and the medic began to struggle, grasping at his throat. Rei released him after only a second — a warning. "Do _not_ ask questions," she reminded him. "I'm not in the mood for any more unnecessary deaths today. Minister Beniko and Agent Ven answer to the Dark Council. As do you."

She expected Theron to be pleased despite the display, but he frowned as he inspected the Jedi. "Where's Master Surro?"

A different medic stepped forward this time, ducking her head meekly and addressing Rei. "Dark lord. Surro was taken by one of the other Jedi about ten minutes ago. The Lord Wrath herself authorized her release."

"Which Jedi?" Theron demanded. "Cori? Togruta, lots of armor, preachy even for a Jedi?"

The medic's gaze flickered over towards Theron as she nodded, but when she answered her focus was still entirely on Rei. "She was togruta, yes. The Wrath told us Agent Ven would need to be notified."

"Don't notify her until you're finished," Rei decided. Turning to Theron, she added, "You'll want to get out of here quickly, then. There's no telling how long it'll be before Zaara decides she needs leverage."

"Right. And… thanks," he offered uncertainly. "I wasn't sure I'd be able to get anyone out."

Rei didn't answer immediately, trying to find a response that was encouraging without being flippant; it was harder than she thought. "Well, I _have_ already threatened someone — I can't exactly go back on my decision now, can I?"

Theron's mood didn't quite lift, but his tone lightened a bit. "I guess that _is_ pretty sound logic, coming from you." Even as he spoke, he frowned, arms crossed as he watched the Imperial medics scurry around to retrieve and prepare the Jedi. "It would be too much to ask for a medical transport, after all this, wouldn't it?"

Raising an eyebrow, Rei tilted her head up to give Theron her best _are you kidding me?_ look. "You're standing in the middle of Imperial space next to a Dark Council member who's giving you anything you ask for — and you think there's a such thing as _too much_?" She turned back to the medics and called out, "Prepare a long range shuttle with proper medical facilities, and make sure it's stocked with adequate supplies. If I learn that any of these Jedi do not survive the trip back to the core worlds, I will hold each of you personally accountable."

Her command was met with a half dozen responses of _right away, my lord_ , and the medic who'd addressed her earlier — the one she _hadn't_ threatened — snatched a datapad off a table and rushed out of the room.

There was the faintest break in Theron's mood, and he offered a look that was one part amused and one part impressed — precisely what Rei had hoped for. "You could've done without the threats. Still, I'll try to remember to ask for something more impressive next time I'm in this position."

"No offense, Theron, but if you're ever this far into Imperial space again, I will personally drag you back to Coruscant." She paused, feeling a weight creep into the words she was now holding back. "And besides, doing this… it has nothing to do with Ziost."

Typically, showing affection was a simple thing — the right gesture or words or display to the right person at the right time — but with Theron, it was complicated. He was not, by any sort of logic, the right person, and circumstances meant that there was no right time, and the two of them had differing opinions on what constituted the right gesture.

Neither of them quite knew what to say after Rei's somewhat awkward confession, but the relative silence was broken by the beeping of Rei's holocomm. She reached for it immediately, eager for a distraction, but her shoulders slumped as she realized it was Marr; Rei was not in any way prepared to speak to the Council.

"I should… It's Marr," she offered lamely. She turned to leave, but a hand caught hers and she froze.

"Rei." Theron tugged her gently back towards him, free hand reaching up to tilt her chin upwards. "Think you can manage a goodbye, this time?"

Some very, very small part of her flashed with annoyance — she had… _things_ to do. Stuff to prepare. Thoughts to un-scatter. "See, these are the sort of things you should be asking for." She pushed up onto her toes, her lips meeting Theron's in a kiss that was slow and sweet and not quite what Rei had expected.

It was as if they had all the time in the galaxy, as if they weren't standing in the middle of a frantic, crowded station and they weren't both about to leave. The urgency of the holocall dulled, the destruction on the planet below them drifted to a distant memory, and the failures Rei felt she'd caused faded into unimportance — if only for a moment.

But all of that _did_ matter, and as Rei's arms rested behind Theron's neck she realized she still held her holocomm and it was still beeping, and she still had to deal with Ziost. She pulled away, shoulders tensing, the rush of responsibility shaking her just enough that she could feel Kallig's disappointment and fury seeping into her own consciousness.

"I have to go," she insisted, more conviction in her voice this time. "The Council, we… They need me, and we have a lot of work ahead of us."

"Yeah." Theron's hold tightened, as if he wasn't quite ready to leave just yet, but after a moment he stepped back and nodded. "We've all got a lot of work to do."

The chiming of Rei's holocomm silenced, and she groaned inwardly. Frowning up at Theron, she jabbed an accusatory finger into his chest. "You made me late," she pointed out. "And don't forget what I said about coming back to Imperial space."

"I know." He reached up to take her hand in both of his, not quite grinning. "Don't know if I could say the same about finding you in Republic space, though."

She rolled her eyes, somehow managing to hold back a grin of her own. "Letting a Sith traipse around the Republic? You don't have it in you. Now _leave_ ," Rei insisted, tugging her hand free and giving Theron a light push back towards the med center, "before Zaara or Lana get any ideas."

"I'm going, I'm going." He took a few steps then turned, almost hesitant. "Stay safe?"

"Don't blow up any more shuttles?"

"Deal."

With nothing more than a nod and a smile in return, Rei pivoted and made a beeline for the — hopefully — empty conference room. If she stayed any longer, she'd find some other thing to discuss, some other promise to make, and it was better for her to just _leave_. Besides, she had the feeling she'd be seeing Theron again, and relatively soon; she had no doubt that was partially just hopeful naivety, but she was also certain that with Vitiate's devastating return, the Empire would be reaching out the Republic again.

A small comfort, ultimately, but one Rei would gladly take.

As soon as she was alone in the conference room, Rei entered Marr's frequency and waited, taking a deep breath as the call connected. "Darth Marr—"

"We could feel the disturbance even here," he interrupted. "Your presence is needed in Kaas City, Nox. Our response to this tragedy must be swift."

"Agreed."


	28. Chapter 28

_**A/N:**_ _in which the council calls a meeting, cori lies to satele, and theron does not have a work interruption_

 _also i've discovered i guess zhorrid just... disappears? in canon? i'm confused about what exactly goes on but then again this IS swtor so. also also no update last thursday bc thanksgiving + black friday + holiday weekend + working a retail job. i won't be finished posting this before kotet but whatever. i had a Long Weekend._

* * *

"We lost much with Ziost. It is imperative that we show our people that we aren't shaken. We must be a unified force, not each distracted by our own petty vendettas."

The council chambers were silent as Marr spoke, each of the councilors focused on the holodisplay of Ziost's ruined surface that was projected in the center of the room. For once, there was no argument. In addition to the eight remaining council members, the Wrath, Lana, and Agent Ven were all present for the first formal Dark Council meeting in the weeks since Ziost had fallen. It was fitting, in a sense, that this first return to official business was also the first return to the previously ruined Council chambers on Korriban; though parts of the Academy itself was still in some state of disrepair, the Council rooms were all back in working order.

Fitting, yes, but it only offered so much comfort given the subject of their meeting.

"Vitiate is no longer our emperor," Marr continued, one hand curling into a fist on the arm of his seat. "He has been silent for far too long, and his appearances on Yavin 4 and Ziost have only strengthened the necessity for the Dark Council to solidify its place as the central power in the Empire. For years already, we've ruled with little to no guidance from Vitiate, but now we must put an end to the charade that he still guides us."

"Then we have much to do," Aruk mused, his expression guarded and nearly unreadable over the flickering holo. "If we are to truly show our people we are capable of operating without Vitiate, we'll need a full council. With four empty seats—"

Rei cleared her throat loudly, effectively cutting Aruk off. "I believe you mean _three_ empty seats, Aruk. Vowrawn has procedures in place. His sphere is capable of running in his absence."

" _Procedures_ only go so far, Nox," Marr cautioned, though he conceded with a nod, "But this is a matter for another day. Some of these seats have been empty for over two years — they can remain empty for another few months, if needed. Our focus today is on Ziost. Zhorrid?"

With a nod, Zhorrid tapped at her datapad, and the image of Ziost disappeared and was replaced with various numbers and figures and statistics. She launched into an explanation, detailing her attempts to catalog the refugees and work backwards to build a casualty report, as well as — in Vowrawn's absence — to work out some sort of system to relocate the survivors.

When she finished, Marr gave a brief overview of the effect on the military, then Lana, Evris, and Zaara each gave their own reports in turn. Lana had already outlined a plan to once again restructure and relocate Intelligence, complete with procedures to mitigate the chaos in particularly overwhelming situations. The Wrath had little new information to offer — mostly reports on the evacuations and Republic involvement — but ended with a confirmation that she hadn't had contact with the Emperor's Hand in several months. Zaara had little to say at all, offering a few counterpoints to Lana's plans and briefly noting some flaws in the standard evacuation procedures.

A few of the councilors spoke after that, and Rei listened as intently as she could, sipping at her caf and making overly-detailed notes in an attempt to stay awake. For once, her tiredness had nothing to do with boredom and everything to do with the fact that she hadn't had a full night's sleep since returning from Ziost.

She'd barely slept at all, really. If she wasn't sparring or meditating or observing acolytes at the Academy, she was working, spending hours researching and brainstorming and drawing up a plan she was now prepared to present to the rest of the council. She waited until another lull in conversation and debate presented itself, then indicated her intent to speak as she began pulling up her notes on her datapad.

"Darth Nox?"

Rei nodded, clearing her throat and glancing through the notes once again. "You want to remain stable, move forward, all that — which is good. I agree. But I also think we should focus on Ziost. Reclaim it."

Her words were met with silence and more than one skeptical look.

"Ziost was rich with culture and history, and we cannot let Vitiate take that from us, too. Darth Acina, Darth Marr, and I have drawn up plans for a task force to study the surface and recover what we can."

Acina stepped in, her voice more commanding and certain than Rei's had been. "Using resources from the Science Bureau, I can send teams to ensure that the planet isn't toxic or otherwise unsafe. From there, we set up outposts, and between the Science Bureau, the Reclamation Service, and the military, we'll be able to get a better idea of just what we're up against. And, of course," she added with a nod towards Rei, "we can save what little history Vitiate left for us to salvage."

Darth Aruk nodded. "I can assist Nox with recovery. The number of temples and tombs on Ziost is vast, and we don't know how Vitiate's influence affected any spirits on the planet."

Rei was somewhat surprised that her plan was, for the most part, being accepted. While it was true that she'd gone to both Marr and Acina to try and drum up some support before presenting it to the entire council, the task force had been primarily outlined by Rei herself.

It had taken a week and a half and dozens of critiques from Talos and Vrynn, but she'd gotten it to a state she was proud of. It was the first time she'd presented something of this scale to the council, and would be the first time she'd be heading up something of this importance.

"Good." Rei nodded, too exhausted to be truly pleased with herself. "I'll forward the details to all of you, and for anyone who wants to assist, we can discuss it further later."

Marr nodded, and after a moment asked, "Is there any other business relating to the situation on Ziost or with Vitiate?"

"Yes, actually." Zaara stepped forward. "I've been offered the position of Intelligence Commander several times over the past two years, and I'd like to formally accept."

"If I recall," Ravage mused, "your original assessment of Minister Beniko's performance on Ziost was _satisfactory_. Has something occurred to change that?"

Zaara didn't waver, standing at perfect parade rest and meeting Ravage's gaze; it was a convincing charade, but Rei knew her well enough to know she was hesitating. "No, my lord. I stand by my original assessment. However, the Empire should strive for more than _satisfactory_ , wouldn't you say? I have full confidence in Minister Beniko, but I believe she could benefit from my experience with Intelligence."

Zhorrid said nothing, but shifted in her seat to lean forward; Zaara continued to watch Ravage, but she flinched at Zhorrid's movement, barely visible but just enough for Rei to catch. Enough for Zhorrid to catch, as well, if the councilor's slow grin was any indication.

"Then if Minister Beniko and Darth Zhorrid have no objections…?" Ravage looked somewhat nonplussed, but deferred to the two women at the head of Sith Intelligence.

"I have no objections, my lord," Lana offered with a nod.

"Agent Ven was a delightful Cipher," Zhorrid almost crooned. "I would love for her to work for me again."

Zaara's lips pressed into a tight frown. "Thank you, Council." She stepped back to stand with Lana, deliberately avoiding Zhorrid's eyes.

With all business related to Ziost finished, Zaara, Lana, and Evris were all dismissed as the Council refocused to discuss the day-to-day ongoings and issues typically dealt with during their meetings. With most everyone's minds still on Ziost, the rest of the meeting didn't take long — much to Rei's relief — and ended on a note that was so _ordinary_ that it was almost off-putting.

Ordinary wasn't necessarily a _bad_ thing, Rei thought to herself as she took the elevator down to the Academy's main level. She could use a bit of normalcy, after everything that had gone on the past few months.

Rei had barely stepped out of the elevator when she felt a presence at her side, jarring her from her thoughts as Zhorrid fell into step beside her. "That necklace from Dathomir is even more exquisite than I thought it would be," Zhorrid stated with a wistful little sigh. "And I have just the occasion to wear it. Dinner, you and me, a lovely Alderaanian restaurant in a little town about an hour south of here."

The necklace had been payment for Zhorrid's help with tracking down Eclipse Squad, and there had been a reason it had spent the past decade locked away in a vault in Kaas City. Rei forced an uneasy smile and pointed out, "You do know it's cursed?"

"The necklace? I took care of it."

Rei decided not to ask how.

"Besides," Zhorrid continued lightly, "I have more information, and I want to look my best when you take me out on a lovely little _thank you_ dinner tonight."

They reached Rei's office, and she shooed away a few loitering acolytes as she punched in the keycode and stepped inside. As the door slid shut behind Zhorrid, Rei gave a slow nod; she could use a bit of a break, even if she couldn't entirely afford to take one. Besides, despite Zhorrid's… somewhat _intense_ need for some sort of friendship or camaraderie or whatever it was she was after, nights out with her hadn't ever been anything other than enjoyable and entertaining. "I suppose it's the least I could do," Rei conceded. "And this information?"

"I finally heard back from an agent of mine in the Republic special forces." Zhorrid sat in one of the chairs, crossing her legs. "Eclipse Squad is dead. Hunted down and assassinated by someone I believe you're familiar with."

Rei leaned up against her desk, crossing her arms as she mulled the information over. She _had_ been looking forward to tracking down the squad herself, but dead was dead, at least in this case. "Who?"

"Major Davri Sohms."

Of all the ways that Rei could take out her pent up frustrations from Ziost, hunting down the commander of the Republic's top special forces squad seemed as good a method as any. "I'm familiar with the Major, yes. I believe it's time we got very well acquainted."

* * *

Karina squirmed in Cori's lap, but she simply tightened her arms around the girl. "We're almost there."

On the other side of the shuttle, Kira was holding back a grin. "What are you even going to tell Satele? That you kidnapped a child from Imperial space?"

"She _hid_ on our ship — that's not kidnapping. And we didn't even know she was there for almost a full day," Cori pointed out, the words a bit sharper than she'd intended. She'd been on edge since Ziost, but things had been even worse since receiving word from Zaara that morning; at Cori's request, a holo of Karina had been shown to the Imperial evacuees, and no one had reported her missing or seemed to even recognize her. "Besides, this is the right thing to do, especially after—" She paused, releasing her grip on Karina to instead press her hands over the girl's ears. "Especially after finding out about her parents."

"Relax. Satele trusts you. If you want Karina to stay with you, she'll let her stay with you."

Karina struggled against Cori, holding her arms and declaring, "But I don't _wanna_ go to the Jedi!"

"Karina—"

"They'll make me a _farmer_!" she wailed, bouncing a bit as she swung her legs in protest. "I don't wanna be a farmer! I don't wanna be a Sith! I don't wanna be a Jedi!" Karina was now practically chanting, running through a list of things she had no desire to be — including everything from _a chef_ to _being_ _quiet_.

"Okay, okay, okay," Cori acquiesced as the shuttle landed at the temple, hoping to quiet Karina before the doors opened. She had a point, at least — with Karina's weak Force sensitivity, there was little chance of her passing her trials, and she _would_ likely end up working with the Jedi Service Corps.

But Cori had a duty to the Jedi, a duty that required her to bring Karina to Satele and, if possible, to train her. There wasn't much choice, not even with as vocal as Karina's protests were.

"Tell you what, Rina," Kira offered as the trio stepped out of the shuttle, "I'll take you for a little tour. We'll see the temple and Tython, maybe take a little trip down to Kalikori village, and _then_ you can tell me if you still don't want to be a Jedi." She held out a hand. "C'mon. You've got to at least see what you're missing, right?"

Karina tugged away from Cori and latched onto Kira's hand. "What's a Kalikori?"

"I'll show you," Kira promised, before glancing back at Cori. "Let me know if you or Satele need us, alright?"

She nodded, watching as they left before heading in the opposite direction to meet with the Grandmaster. It had been a few days since she'd heard from Satele, and Cori was anxious to learn how Master Surro's healing was progressing. The process was a bit different for her than it had been for Cori, given that Cori hadn't immediately remembered much from her time under the Emperor's influence.

Besides, she hadn't had time to spend more than a few days on Tython. Cori had returned to war, and the Republic had needed her more than she had needed healing. Still, it wasn't a decision she wanted forced onto Surro.

One of the temple's meditation chambers had been converted into small personal quarters for Surro while she stayed on Tython, and that's where Cori headed. She found Surro in bed, awake and propped up, talking with Satele. "Sorry if I'm interrupting."

"Not at all," Satele assured her, motioning to a second, empty chair that had been pulled up to the bedside. "We've been waiting, actually."

"How are you doing?" Cori asked Surro as she sat, reaching over to gently take one of her hands.

Surro glanced from Cori to Satele and back, swallowing hard before she answered. "Better. It helps, being on Tython. But—" She took a shaky breath before continuing weakly, "It's still hard."

"It always will be," Cori offered truthfully. "But not this hard. There are ways to help — healing techniques and meditation worked well for me. You'll find a method that works for you."

Without warning, Surro grasped tightly onto Cori's hand. "Thank you," she said, voice insistent. "It… it helps, knowing this can be done. That I can… get past this."

"We're doing everything we can," Satele promised, glancing up at Cori before adding, "But for now, perhaps we should let Surro rest."

Cori nodded and stood, sharing a quick goodbye and a few more words of comfort before leaving Surro alone and following Satele out into the hall. "She seems… clearer. More focused."

"She is. Just being on Tython has made a tremendous difference. But she isn't as resilient as you are," Satele pointed out with a frown. "I doubt she'll be the same."

Deciding to hold back an argument, Cori simply gave a nod of acknowledgment and continued on in silence. She wasn't fond of Satele's assumption that there was anything special about her — it was something she'd heard more than once, from several Jedi, that there was something _unique_ to her that led to her relative success in the hunt for Vitiate — but this wasn't the time or place for such a discussion.

As they entered Satele's quarters, Cori cleared her throat and decided to switch topics and bring up Karina. "I… On Ziost—" She paused, taking a deep, steadying breath, and began again. "Grandmaster, while we were on Ziost, an Imperial child stowed away on my ship. Her family didn't make it off the surface, and…"

Satele glanced up at Cori's pause. "It will be better for her to be raised in the Republic. It's tragic, about her family. Hopefully she can still find peace and purpose here."

Cori bit at her lip, suddenly hesitant to reveal Karina's Force sensitivity. The weeks of listening to her various objections aimed at both Jedi and Sith had worn Cori down, apparently. Part of her was worried that her hesitance stemmed from a far more selfish reason — that Cori simply didn't want to take a girl who'd lost a family that hadn't wanted her in the first place, and abandon her to an Order that would eventually turn its back on her, as well.

Karina seemed at home on their ship, and if that's where she wanted to stay… Cori didn't want to take that choice away from her.

"Is something wrong?"

"No." Cori shook her head. "I just… I wanted to let you know. We'll need our supplies increased a bit, just until we find a… better situation for her." A momentary pang of guilt coursed through her; Kira had been right, earlier — Satele _did_ trust Cori, and _would_ accept her words without question. She felt that, in a way, she was betraying that trust, but also that she was doing right by Karina.

She justified it by telling herself it was temporary.

Cori cleared her throat, hastily changing topics once again. "In the meantime, have you decided what to do about Darth Marr's proposal?"

"About the joint force?" Satele clarified. "I've… considered it, yes. You have thoughts about how we should proceed?" she guessed.

She nodded. "I think Ziost changes everything."

"I believe you're right."

* * *

"How's work on that holocron coming?"

"Good. I'm set to meet with a professor at one of the universities here in Coruscant next week." T'sereen passed a plate of rolls across the table, handing it off to Theron before adding, "Unless Saresh needs me again. I've already had to cancel this meeting once."

Theron grabbed two of the rolls and set the plate down in the center of the table. "Some sort of holocron expert?"

"A relative of the woman who made it," she corrected. "Eira Rand. The last living descendant of the Jedi Exile."

He let out a low whistle. "She's not gonna get caught up in a misguided attempt to restore her ancestor's glory, is she? Once every three hundred years is enough for me."

T'sereen made a face Theron couldn't decipher. "I hardly think that's a risk."

"Alright, alright," Felix spoke up. "What happened to _no talking work at the dinner table_?"

She gave a pointed glance towards the huttball match playing on the vidscreen in the next room. "Shall I turn that off, then, or are we bending the rules a bit because we have a guest over?"

They went back and forth for a few minutes, the bickering light-hearted but hinting that this was far from the first time they'd had the argument. Theron nearly shook his head, holding back a comment about how _domestic_ the entire thing was; sometimes it was easy to forget how T'sereen had been when they'd first met — younger but no less jaded, the newly named Barsen'thor, full of fire and quick to argue.

Of course, T'sereen hadn't really changed _all_ that much. She still picked far too many battles, though they were mostly much _smaller_ , these days.

The conversation throughout the rest of their dinner covered far more innocent topics — including Theron's complicated, ever-evolving relationship with his mother, because that was one thing that T'sereen wouldn't ever stop badgering him about — and continued on even as they relocated to the living room to finish watching the huttball match.

It was much later into the night, with the warm glow of Coruscant's nightlife seeping through the windows and a post-match recap show playing on the vidscreen in the background, that their discussion turned more serious. They'd settled into a comfortable silence; T'sereen was curled up on the couch against Felix, who was snoring softly, while Theron sat on one of the lone chairs, scrolling aimlessly through nothing in particular on his datapad.

"What does she mean to you?"

Theron glanced up and set his datapad aside; he would've been thankful for the return to conversation, but between T'sereen's somewhat hesitant tone, her mostly empty wine glass, and the almost imperceptible flush on her already-rosy cheeks, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know where this was going. "What do you mean?"

"Her. Rei." T'sereen waved a hand. "Nox. Whatever she calls herself these days."

"What does she mean to me?" Theron repeated, stalling his answer.

T'sereen nodded.

"She's…" He knew there wasn't an _easy_ answer, but as Theron searched for something to say, he realized he didn't really _have_ an answer. There were things he liked about her, reasons he _cared_ about her, but Rei herself? She was a whirlwind that had come into his life completely by accident — an accident he was glad for, and an accident he was looking forward to repeating. "We'll find out, I guess. I mean, it's not like we've had a lot of time to… you know. Figure it out."

T'sereen nodded again, as if she understood perfectly what he was trying to say. "Don't fuck it up," she cautioned, and Theron wondered for a moment if she was speaking in Rei's defense, but she continued, "You don't want to be on a Sith's bad side."

"Trust me — that's the _last_ thing I want to do. For a _lot_ of reasons."

"Good." They fell back into silence for a few minutes, then T'sereen slowly asked another of the questions Theron had been dreading. "Did you see Ziost? I mean, after?"

Theron's brow furrowed in concern, and he was silent for a few moments before answering; it had been years since T'sereen had contacted anyone she'd known while in the Empire — it had been long before Theron had even met her — but that didn't mean she didn't still wonder about her family. Ziost had been her home, once, after all. "No. Not from the surface, at least."

T'sereen's lips pursed, her expression unreadable. "There were evacuations?"

"Mostly just from the capital. The mandatory evacuations didn't get that far south."

"Casualty reports?"

He shook his head. "Not that I know of. When I left, I don't think they even knew where to start." Theron managed to hold back the reflexive _I'm sorry_ that came with delivering news of this caliber; T'sereen wasn't the sort to take any comfort in what would amount to an empty apology, anyway. "I have some contacts I could reach out to…?"

"Don't bother." She fidgeted, fingers running along the edge of her robe sleeves as her lekku twisted and curled in both frustration and grief. "I left them behind years ago. There's no reason to try and run back to them now."

While Theron suspected that T'sereen _did_ want to know what had happened to her family — or her grandmother, at the very least — he wouldn't go searching for answers unless she asked him to. "If you change your mind, just let me know."

T'sereen glanced up with a tight-lipped smile. "I appreciate it, but you're no longer in a position to do much, are you?"

" _Administrative leave_ ," he confirmed with a sigh. "It's not as bad as it could be, honestly." With an attempt at lightening the quickly deteriorating mood, Theron added, "But, hey — I made it through an entire evening without a work interruption."

She rolled her eyes, but when she smiled it was genuine. "Optimism never did suit you, Theron."


	29. Chapter 29

_**A/N:** in which zaara has thinky thoughts, davri bonds with theron over being walking disasters, and cori manages to still deny she's head over heels for lana_

 _so i'm technically late but my excuse is i stayed up finishing kotet and. well. i have some Strong Opinions._

 _but! more importantly - we've just got one chapter left for ostensibly. then it's on to the timeskip fic ft. pining oh god so much pining. also, apologies bc this chapter is... long. it got longer each time i edited and it's another one of those "oops i accidentally wrote something twice as long as i meant to" chapters._

* * *

She had an office, now. It was mostly empty, just a room with a desk and a holoterminal, sitting unused in the heart of the Citadel.

Commander Ven, working alongside Minister Beniko at the head of Intelligence.

It certainly wasn't the future she'd imagined all those years ago when she'd begun her training. She'd been nothing more than a young alien alone in Kaas City, at the mercy of the two Intelligence agents she'd unwittingly tried to rob. _You nearly made it through our defenses_ , they'd told her, two charming Chiss with the means and money to offer her training and opportunities and connections.

 _The Empire recognizes and rewards talent_ , they'd said.

She'd started her career by being praised for a failure — an impressive failure, one that showcased potential — and Zaara was now almost certain that's how her career would end, as well. It was certainly the case now, being promoted in the wake of Ziost.

It wasn't _her_ failure, perhaps, but it was a failure she'd overseen and the blame should've rested with her. But she'd told Ravage and the Council the truth — Intelligence had done its best given the circumstances, even if its best wasn't enough. There wasn't anything they could've done differently to combat Vitiate. At least, nothing they could've done that would've made a difference.

There were steps to take, however, and Zaara had to admit that Lana had some good ideas on how to proceed. She'd meant it, when she'd reported to the Council after Ziost and said that Lana's performance had been satisfactory. She'd meant it, too, when she'd said Intelligence should be better than that.

In the Minister's defense, her shortcomings had nothing to do with a lack of effort; Lana had worked herself as hard or harder than any other Intelligence operative in New Adasta, and her seemingly endless dedication that Zaara had first seen the year before while planning the strike on Tython had certainly been serving them well now.

It was also a welcome change from the cold, somewhat sterile demeanor of the previous Minister.

Zaara had been careful in her criticisms of Lana; the Sith hardly needed her feelings spared, but Zaara also knew that she would be taking their losses just as hard as anyone else. She couldn't have said that about Lana's predecessor — at least, not with any certainty. Either way, there was no reason for Zaara to burden Lana with any unnecessary guilt or shame. She'd been clear and concise when reporting in, both of them more focused on Intelligence's role in cleaning up after Vitiate than wasting time placing blame.

As it was, the new role of _Intelligence Commander_ was becoming more and more of an unprecedented problem with each passing day. The balance of power had shifted; even if Lana had treated Zaara as an equal within the organization before, they now actually _were_ equals, and that presented its own complications between the two of them. They weren't friends any longer, not really, and a detached professionalism seemed to color them both even outside of official business.

Zaara's desk — not empty, not when she'd walked in that morning — held an outline of Lana's proposed reorganization of Intelligence, including how to best divide tasks between herself and Zaara. Her position of Commander would remain more hands-on, while the position of Minister remained more of a desk job. In the case of a crisis — such as Ziost — the Commander could be on-site and the Minister could monitor from the headquarters.

 _Mobile_ headquarters, if Lana had her way.

After reading through all the suggested changes, Zaara had to admit that most of Lana's ideas were certainly an improvement over current situations. Some would have to be refined, and others likely wouldn't work, but overall, she was confident that Intelligence was in good hands. Now, Zaara just had to determine what to do about the previously proposed _joint force_ to search for Vitiate; in the wake of Ziost, a temporary alliance with the Republic seemed even more inevitable, and Zaara wanted some say in all of it. There had been rough preparations made before, but considering the Republic — and Satele in particular — had been hesitant to agree to anything, nothing had ever been finalized.

So now, Zaara sat at her desk in her office, reading through all the suggestions put forth by Marr and Lys and Lana and anyone else involved. She'd worked out an Imperial team, and had listed two Republic teams — one that would work best with the Imperials, and one that the Republic would likely actually send. There were multiple scouting missions that she'd already put together, a total of eleven to cover different areas of the galaxy with different configurations of teams.

It was busy work, challenging tasks just to keep her mind and her hands moving, and Zaara had nearly overwhelmed herself when her thoughts were interrupted by a quiet knock.

"It's nice. We were curious what the office of the Commander of Sith Intelligence would look like."

Zaara turned, unable to hold back a small smile as Vector entered the room. "I don't plan on using it," she admitted, pushing her datapad to the side. "Not much, anyway. Lana and I still have to work out the division of power. There's never been a position like this in Intelligence."

"You'll figure it out. If anyone can, it's you and Lana." Hands clasped behind his back, Vector continued to inspect the relative emptiness of the room. "Have you heard from your sister?"

Zaara let out a short huff of a sigh, trying to push down the frustration that bubbled up at Vector's question. "No." She remained silent for a moment, fingers tapping along the desk. It was less of a risk now, reaching out to Cori, considering the relatively abundant attempts at a temporary alliance that had occurred after Ziost; coincidentally, those same talks were the source of a significant portion of Zaara's frustrations. "I should have. The last time we spoke, she told me Satele was considering cooperating. If I don't hear from her soon…"

"You will," Vector assured her, taking another moment to glance around the office before holding a hand out to her. "Dinner? The Wrath is lovely company, but we would prefer an evening with our wife. If you aren't too busy," he added.

Guilt sparked through Zaara, though she knew that hadn't been his intention. She'd been so engrossed in her work, and the last time they'd had a proper night out had been… Life Day, perhaps? Only a few days before Lana had called her back to Ziost. But there was still so much to do, all of it far more important than any of Zaara's personal affairs, and even though she was currently waiting on both the Republic and the Dark Council it felt _wrong_ to simply push things off until the morning.

Though it was a sad statement that _Lys_ was home more often than Zaara.

"I have time," she decided, grabbing her datapad as she stood. She took Vector's hand, trying to force the tension from her body and focus on the calm that emanated from him. They'd been through so much together and she relied on him for so much, and Zaara hated when their work kept them separated; she doubted she'd be able to work through her stress without Vector there beside her, though she pushed the thought from her mind almost as soon as it appeared.

He was there with her now, and that wouldn't ever change, and Zaara held onto that like a lifeline.

* * *

Stepping back onto Ziost's surface was _disconcerting_ , in a word.

Dust sprung up around Rei as she walked, leaving ashy smudges on her heavy boots. There was a wind — ever so slight — that whistled in her ears, tugging at the edge of her hood. Tents were set up at the far end of the landing zone — three of them, one larger than the other two. Vitiate's presence was no longer more than… an echo, perhaps, or the slipping image of a faded memory.

He was gone, as was everything else on Ziost.

Rei had made her peace with the now-familiar weight of the failure and the responsibility and the sheer _emptiness_ that now remained, but that wasn't making it any easier to return. For the past few weeks, she'd become used to spending the majority of her time working — on her own mental abilities, on tasks to further their efforts on Ziost, on _anything_ that would potentially help in the fight against Vitiate — but _this_ , visiting Ziost while Acina was already planet-side to oversee operations, felt… extravagant. It was unnecessary and a waste of time, but Rei couldn't shake the need to go at least check and see how things were proceeding.

The main camp — and the only camp, as far as Rei knew — had been formed in the remains of the military compound just outside of the capital. A decent portion of the walls still stood, and had been reinforced in places. Any gaps and openings were guarded by a combination of droids and troopers, and a few soldiers patrolled around the landing zone. There was only one building still standing, but it seemed to be unused; any activity originated from the tents at the far end, where Rei had been informed she could find Acina.

Despite the mission to reclaim Ziost being a cooperative effort, the Science Bureau was currently leading the charge, collecting data on the planet and issuing warnings as needed. Once they'd surveyed enough to satisfy Acina, the Reclamation Service teams would move in to recover whatever pieces of culture remained. Rei was tempted to stay and monitor the progress, but she'd decided to settle for leaving Talos and Vrynn while she went out to track down whatever artifacts and relics that had been removed from Ziost.

She wasn't entirely certain what to do with it all once it had been collected; a vault in Kaas City had already been cleared out in anticipation, but Rei had no desire to keep so much history locked up. There was still months of work to do before they even reached the point where she'd have to worry about that, though, so for now Rei was still focused on actually _recovering_ everything.

But first, she needed to check up on the Science Bureau's progress, which meant meeting with Acina.

It was a short walk from the landing zone to the largest tent, where Rei could see the other councilor, standing amongst tables filled with equipment and containers and other odd things Rei couldn't make out even as she approached. "Darth Acina."

She nodded, not moving from where she leaned over a strange display of what looked to be simply dirt. "Organic matter is virtually indistinguishable from remains of what used to be buildings, or weapons, or rocks." Acina picked up one of the contained remains, inspecting it and holding it up to Rei. "To the eyes, at least. We're learning to scan for differences. The Science Bureau officer in charge here tells me it's been a very fruitful expedition, thus far."

Rei frowned. "What good does that do us?"

"It tells us what we need to study," Acina said, scoffing a bit. "Given that we lost all the Jedi we intended to use in our research, we're lacking in organic specimens."

"There were dozens of Sith and Imperials who were possessed as well," Rei shot back, reaching to pick up one of the containers of dirt — or not dirt, or whatever it technically was now. She'd already had to defend herself in front of the Council after handing the Jedi over to Theron, and it was an argument she was tired of repeating.

Acina's lips pursed, her eyes tracking every movement as Rei handled the container. "Oh, we've already begun with them. But it's in somewhat poor taste to force more suffering on them when it could've been Jedi. Moreso considering the circumstances."

They were interrupted by an Imperial entering the tent, giving a crisp salute to each of the Sith in turn. "My lords. One of our teams to the south has uncovered the New Adastan Cultural Center." Turning to Rei, the officer gave a quick bow of his head. "Lieutenant Danmar Tai. I'm heading up the Science Bureau's efforts here. Under Darth Acina's guidance, naturally."

"You have excellent timing, it seems," Acina observed, though it was unclear whether she was speaking to Rei or Tai. "Good work, Lieutenant. I've already requested the list of notable artifacts held at the Cultural Center. Begin cataloging anything you can recover and get to work cross-referencing as soon as you're able. Darth Nox can accompany you, if she's so inclined?"

"Later, perhaps," Rei decided; a new thought was beginning to form in her mind, inspired by the progress she'd already seen. If the rest of the expeditions were as well-run as the capital's seemed to be, she wondered if their efforts on Ziost would move more quickly than she'd originally imagined. "I'll organize some teams from the Reclamation Service. I've had… an idea. About the Republic."

Even as she spoke, the stray idea began working itself into a plan. Without another word, Rei turned and walked out of the tent, heading straight back towards the shuttle she'd arrived in. Once alone, she pulled out her datapad, glancing through the information once before contacting Darth Marr. With all they'd already discovered, perhaps they could convince the Republic of the value of the information.

"You have something to report, Nox?"

"Not quite. It's more of a thought. Or a request."

Marr crossed his arms. "Does it relate to Ziost?"

"Yes." Rei nodded, pausing for a moment as she debated retracting her entire statement. It was a rather outlandish request, after all. "Satele is unwilling to commit to a joint force as of now, correct? Would a show of…" She paused again, gesturing nonsensically as she searched for an appropriate word. "A show of good faith, I suppose. Would it help?"

Marr remained still, a quiet _hmm_ the only indication that he was thinking over her question. "The Empire will seek out Vitiate, regardless of Republic support," he finally said. "If the promise of our resources did not sway the Grandmaster, why would a show of good faith?"

Rei held up her datapad, giving it a little wave. "Data. Everything we now know about Vitiate's effect on Ziost. Useless for now, but once we know more about how he possessed people, we could pass the information along to the Jedi." She gave a nonchalant wave of her hand. "For healing, or something. I'm sure they'd appreciate it."

"No." Rather than disapproving, Marr's tone was thoughtful. "But we could offer. Information that could possibly assist in healing their Jedi, fully at their disposal once they commit resources."

"And we still have prisoners," Rei pointed out; her initial request hadn't been entirely thought out, but the concept — an exchange of sorts with the Republic — was promising. Not only could they make it work in favor of the Empire, but it would prove they were sincere about working alongside the Jedi to track down Vitiate. "Most of the troops we captured from the Republic's initial assault were taken to the defense station before they were possessed. They won't be any use to us in figuring out the mind control." She _had_ originally planned to use those soldiers as a way to get her hands on artifacts from Ziost that were currently in the Jedi's possession, but it didn't matter. Artifacts could be taken by force.

Marr nodded. "Do you plan on returning to Kaas City?"

"Soon, yes. I have some calls to make and things to arrange, but I believe things are running smoothly enough here that my direct oversight won't be necessary."

"Good. Once you're here we can work out the exact terms and contact Grandmaster Shan. If she agrees, we'll have much to prepare. If she doesn't…" A wryness crept into Marr's voice. "At the very least, it will be amusing to hear how she plans to explain that the Empire is the more cooperative and diplomatic in the fight against the greatest evil this galaxy has ever known."

* * *

Davri wasn't sure if she'd ever been to Coruscant as a civilian. At least, not the upper levels, and certainly not the actual Senate Tower — she'd spent plenty of time in Jaxo's apartment, and they'd _definitely_ been off duty then. Otherwise, it had always been to check in with Garza or deal with some political bullshit.

Today was, technically, the latter.

She'd been summoned by Satele, for something about Yavin 4 and Ziost and the fact that Saresh was making a rather good case for keeping Havoc out of the field for as long as the Chancellor held a grudge. Which, really, wasn't all that difficult, considering Davri _had_ ignored direct orders, fired on Republic troops, handed over vital information to an agent of Imperial Intelligence… Her career was over, so if the Jedi wanted to send her off one last time before she retired and moved in with her mother, that was fine with her.

 _Speaking_ of her mother, Davri really needed to call Kida before she read too many holonet gossip articles and got the wrong idea about what had happened on Ziost. It would have to wait a bit longer, though; Davri trudged through the Senate Tower, working her way through the winding halls back to where she was supposed to meet Satele. She knew it was just her imagination, but Davri could practically _feel_ the stares of people as she walked, watching the soon-to-be disgraced Havoc Squad commander with open curiosity. She always felt exposed without her armor or the weight of the assault canon, always felt idle and useless without a mission on the horizon.

It didn't help that she was relatively familiar with the Senate Tower; Davri was halfway to Garza's old office before she realized where she was headed, and turned back to wind back through the tower to where she was to speak with the Grandmaster.

Davri hadn't realized she wouldn't be the only one meeting with Satele, but the room was nearly full; Master Cori sat near Satele, Theron was in one of the chairs on the other side of the desk, and a cathar she didn't recognize stood near the door, arms crossed. "Am I late or just interrupting?" she asked, leaning against the doorframe and hoping this mystery meeting would end with a promising mission. Cori seemed to always be in the middle of a good fight, Theron certainly made for interesting company, and the cathar had a certain _look_ about him, making Davri wonder if he was with the military — she'd been on missions with stranger groups.

"Neither. We were just getting started," Satele assured her. "You already know Cori and Theron, and this is Agent Nadal with the Yavin 4, Darth Marr approached me about the possibility of a small joint force to search for the Emperor. I was wary, originally, but in the wake of Ziost…"

"You're sending _us_?" Davri raised an eyebrow; she'd already worked with enough Imps to last a lifetime or three.

"We aren't sending anyone, yet," Nadal clarified, "but we need to gather a group for negotiations. You were the clear choice of representative from the military."

"Negotiations?"

Nodding, Satele explained, "Marr reached out to me and we… discussed our options. We've both agreed to meet so we can determine how best to proceed. The Republic can't blindly dedicate resources, and I won't commit to anything until we're certain of the Empire's motives." The Grandmaster paused, lips pursing in thought. "They seem sincere about it so far, however."

Davri frowned, crossing her arms as she mulled over the new information and the offer of a position as a representative. If that was even what it _was_ — it almost seemed as if she was being appointed, rather than it being a choice. "So we play nice with the Empire for a while. To what end?"

Nadal shared a quick glance with Theron before shrugging. "We stop Vitiate. Nobody knows _how_ , but we figure if we all stop shooting at each other for a bit we might be able to work something out."

"I was working on organizing something," Theron added, "even before Ziost. I had teams and resources planned but it's… out of my hands, now. I've given everything to Taavi—" he motioned towards the cathar, "—but the Jedi are still insisting they need minimal assistance. Obviously they're willing to work with the SIS and military now, which is better than before Ziost, but…" Theron trailed off with a sigh and a pointed glance in Cori and Satele's direction.

"We've tracked the Emperor down more than once," Cori explained. "We can do it again, but Ziost made it clear we underestimated his strength. The Jedi won't be turning away any allies, not with so much at stake."

Theron gave an exaggerated shrug. "Because ignoring an offer isn't _technically_ turning it down."

Satele sighed, glancing from Cori to Theron before reaching for her datapad. "It's not up for discussion."

The combination of the inflection in Theron's tone and the sharpness in Satele's made Davri instantly curious. "What isn't?"

"Nox and Marr made a proposal for a… trade, of sorts," Theron explained. "They want a handful of artifacts from the Jedi, in return for all kinds of information and data on Ziost and the transfer of at least _some_ Republic troops being held prisoner from the Orbital Defense Station."

"And…?" she shrugged, her curiosity dampened. Those sorts of trades didn't happen often with the Empire, but even when they did, it wasn't a process she was typically a part of.

"And," Satele interjected, "the Jedi have decided not to pursue the negotiations. Those artifacts cannot simply be—"

"Returned to them?" Theron finished, crossing his arms and glancing back at Davri with a pointed look, as if Satele was proving his point for him. "I've looked into it. Everything they're asking for originated on Ziost, and we'll get everything from atmospheric readings to soil samples." Frowning, he added, "Not to mention the troops we'll be bringing home."

Satele looked as if she had more to argue, but Davri spoke up before the Grandmaster. "All due respect, but if it involves Republic troops, it isn't really up to the Jedi, is it? Not completely." She understood why Satele wouldn't want to make deals with the Empire — it typically remained _low_ on Davri's list of preferred courses of action — but trading a few dusty Jedi relics? Worth it, especially for the chance to figure out just what had happened on the surface of Ziost.

"The final decision rests with the Jedi," Satele countered smoothly, "because the artifacts are important pieces of Jedi history."

"And if the next world Vitiate hits is a Republic planet? We need a better understanding of Vitiate's power, and I think we've all agreed that searching through Surro's mind _isn't_ the way to go."

"Theron has a point," Davri agreed. "We got lucky. What if Coruscant is next?"

Nadal made a sound somewhere between a sigh and a growl. "That's what this _joint force_ is for. We stop the Emperor before he _can_ attack a Republic world."

"Theron and Major Sohms are right," Cori interjected calmly. "We've gone up against the Emperor unprepared before, and it… it didn't end well. We can't afford to let that happen again."

At that, Satele shook her head and stood. "It's clear we aren't prepared to meet with the Empire, either. Cori and I will continue to gather information and determine our options for proceeding. Major Sohms, Agent Nadal, we'll contact you when when have something more concrete."

Davri frowned but didn't argue; she didn't think Cori would continue to stand up to Satele, not really, and the Grandmaster just needed more time to change Cori's mind for her.

She waited until Nadal had slipped out of the room, then turned to Theron. " _You_ I still need to talk to." Davri pointed an accusatory finger at him, but did him the courtesy of waiting until they'd left Satele's office before continuing. "Your girlfriend's trying to kill me."

He frowned, saying nothing for a moment. "She's what?"

"She placed a damn bounty on my head. I had an assassin in my kitchen last night."

"You're _Havoc_ ," Theron pointed out. "It can't be the first bounty that's been put on you. And how do you even know it's Nox?"

"My _kitchen_ ," Davri repeated, not certain Theron understood just how inconvenienced she'd been. "Dead or alive, preferably alive, placed by the office of the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge. All it takes is a holonet search — it's Nox, and it's—" Her words cut off with a sharp laugh.

For whatever reason, Davri's… _disposal_ of Eclipse Squad the year before had drawn Nox's attention.

"I cleaned up one of the Republic's messes and Nox didn't want it cleaned up," she explained. "The gift that keeps on giving. Might've just been easier to take a demotion, like Garza."

She'd expected some continued argument from Theron, but he just sighed. "And? What do you want me to do about it? It's not like we're in contact, I don't—" His words cut off with another sigh.

Davri almost felt bad for even bringing it up. "I know. I'm just giving you shit."

"Everyone always is these days."

"Exactly. We'll bond over it. Strong drinks, ruined careers, and saving the Republic."

* * *

There was something refreshing about seeing padawans training in the temple courtyards again. It had been nearly a full year since the Sith attack on Tython, and in the months since, Cori hadn't spent enough time here.

The temple and the fields surrounding it had become her home, moreso in the year prior to the attack than even since she'd begun her training. It made her head spin, thinking of the way she'd hid away upon her return from Ilum, spending more time in her meditation chambers than on a battlefield. It had been her way of healing, of realigning herself and finding balance in her life again after what had amounted to two and a half years of hunting down Sith.

She couldn't imagine it, now; the galaxy _needed_ her, more than it had needed her before, and any time she spent here on Tython was a small miracle. It was only her third time returning since Yavin, and she'd been so busy with each trip that it hadn't ever been the respite she'd hoped. But now, at least, she had a few hours to sit and watch and think.

It was late in the evening before the padawans cleared out, leaving Cori alone to her meditation in the southern courtyard. Soon after that, when the sun had just fully dipped beneath the horizon, Kira joined her.

"You okay?"

Cori had the sense that the question was in reference to Vitiate and to Ziost, but that wasn't where her mind was at the moment. She nodded, enough to assuage Kira's concern, then breathed deeply and concentrated on the ebb and pulse of the Force on Tython.

But, as had been the case in the weeks since her return, Cori was unable to focus entirely on Tython; there was a presence, like a beacon, shining at the edge of her awareness. She shied from it, not wanting to acknowledge it. Not yet.

"You sure?"

"Kira, I—" Cori stopped, sensing a shift in the presence. It blinked, like a spark of inspiration or a sudden revelation. Letting her hands rest still in her lap, Cori opened her eyes and turned to Kira for the first time since she'd arrived. "I'm fine. I've been thinking about Ilum."

Kira's brow furrowed and Cori could sense the dull spark of doubt that ran through her. She sat, cross-legged, on one of the stone benches, a knowing edge to her voice as she spoke. "About _Ilum_ , or about after?"

"After. But it's different this time, I think." She wasn't alone, for one. And they would — mostly — be working _with_ the Empire, instead of against them. But the biggest difference, this time, was that the crippling sense of being _chosen_ , of being the only one capable of striking down Vitiate, had lessened if not vanished. "I've still got you," Cori pointed out affectionately, "but there's plenty of other Jedi this time, too. And Zaara and Lys and… lots of capable allies."

She didn't say the name at the tip of her tongue, the name that filled her mind and her chest and the presence that was just outside of her reach. She didn't say _Lana_ , didn't trust herself to confide in Kira and spill every secret, every conclusion she'd come to while meditating.

 _"_ _Capable allies_ ," Kira repeated thoughtfully, her voice remaining level but a teasing smirk beginning to tug at the edge of her lips. "Is that what they call it these days?"

Cori pulled her knees up to her chest, leaning back to rest against the bench Kira was sitting on. Of _course_ she knew. "You know what I mean," she chastised quietly. "I have people I can trust. People to rely on." Even as she spoke, Cori became aware of a presence growing nearer, a now-familiar Force signature creeping around the edge of the courtyard. She tried to hold back a smile at Karina's attempt at stealth. "And I have Karina, now too. We can't forget about her," she reminded Kira, shooting her a knowing look.

"How could I? She's the one who keeps eating all the cookies on the ship."

"Do _not_!" There was a rustling in one of the neatly-trimmed hedges, and Karina burst through the plants and stuck her tongue out at Kira. "It's Scourge!"

"Of course it is." Cori reached over to scoop Karina up, pulling the now-laughing girl into her lap. She didn't need to burden Karina, not with Ziost or the Jedi or her own personal matters. "Just like Scourge spilled tea all over the couch in my meditation chambers and tried to cover it up with pillows?"

Karina stopped in her playful struggle with Cori, her eyes going wide with feigned sincerity. "I saw him."

"Then it's a good thing I have you with me, isn't it?"


	30. Chapter 30

_**A/N:**_ _in which cori and lana have A Very Important Talk, the wrath and the barsen'thor both make plans, and rei takes things seriously_

* * *

Cori had boarded plenty of Imperial ships in her time, but never quite like this. It wasn't exactly _peaceful_ , given the number of troopers stationed in the hallways or the gruff manner in which the Imperial captain had met her, but it certainly wasn't quite _hostile_ , either.

It was an odd situation, either way. The entire thing had been orchestrated by Darth Nox, in an attempt to secure a handful of relics the Jedi possessed. Some had been reclaimed from the Sith, and some had simply originated on now-Imperial worlds, but Nox felt they belonged back in the Empire.

Cori had been with Satele when they'd received the call a few weeks before, and the task of overseeing the transfer had fallen to her, somewhat by default.

 _Send someone from Ziost_ , Nox had insisted, _and not the Major, because I'm not sure I'm capable of letting her leave alive the next time I see her_.

The admission hadn't exactly given any comfort to either Cori or Satele, but after working out a few more details, an accord had been reached and Cori had left to rendezvous with the ship on the edges of Imperial space. It was a mission that would have unnerved her either way, but she found herself relaxing almost instinctively when she met her contact.

"Lana?"

The captain who'd escorted her through the ship gave her a stern glare. "Minister Beniko," he corrected, adding, "I assume you're familiar with the Jedi?"

"Yes." Lana gave a curt nod. "Excuse us, Captain, while Master Cori and I work out the details of the transfer."

Cori followed slowly, some of her relief shifting towards suspicion, as Lana led her into what seemed to be an office. "I was assured that the details had already been agreed upon. The artifacts are on my ship and ready to be unloaded, and the prisoners—"

"Will be delivered to you, as promised, along with the data on Ziost," Lana confirmed as she closed the door, keying in a code to presumably lock it. "We didn't… Ziost didn't leave much time for discussion," she admitted, turning from the door to face Cori and looking almost sheepish. But it disappeared, quickly replaced by an expression of intent.

"Mixing business and pleasure, Minister?" Cori attempted to feign some measure of coyness, hoping to hide the surprise washing over her. This wasn't something she'd expected of Lana — she hadn't even expected _Lana_ , honestly — but she did have a point, and Ziost had left them on something of an awkward goodbye. "But why… how are you even here? I thought I'd be meeting with one of Nox's people."

Lana nodded. "That was the original plan, yes. When Nox presented the arrangement, she mentioned you would likely be the one the Republic sent to oversee the transfer, and I offered to go in place of whoever Nox was planning to send." She paused, shrugging a bit. "She trusts me, and in truth, I needed some time away from your sister to get work done. I'm worried about her, Cori," Lana added. "I've never seen her so… driven."

Cori hesitated, torn by her sudden concern over Zaara and her desire to steer the conversation back towards Ziost. "What's so bad about _driven_?"

"It isn't just ambition," Lana clarified, "it's reckless and without sense. Even Vector says he's only seen her like this once before, though he wouldn't elaborate. I believe Ziost is… still affecting her."

"I could… I don't know. I'm not sure how to help," Cori admitted.

"She'll work through it. It will take time, though that's to be expected of something like this," Lana reasoned, her tone distracted. "What about you? Have you… worked through it?"

Cori opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't force out a coherent thought and frowned as she attempted to sort out her answer. "Like you said, it'll take time. It's easier, this time, knowing I won't be the only one searching for him."

Lana looked away, lips pursing in thought. "I certainly can't speak for the rest of the Empire, but I _can_ say you won't be alone this time," she assured her, leaning forward slightly as she reached for Cori's hands. She glanced down, watching as her pale thumbs glided over the soft aqua of Cori's skin. "And if Vitiate were ever again to…"

Warmth blossomed through Cori's chest, warmth brought on by the concern and compassion in Lana's voice, warmth that had been so rare upon her return to Tython from Dromund Kaas. "He won't take me, Lana. He won't take my mind from me. Or me from you." Her voice was nearly a whisper, barely audible even to herself; but there was a confession, of sorts, in her words, an admission that had become truth on Yavin and had gone too long unspoken.

If there were some way she could stay with Lana, to wake beside her and fight beside her and not have to worry about the war, Cori would take it — she would accept it without question. She tugged her hands free and closed what little distance still remained between them, her lips meeting Lana's in a kiss that was almost desperate; as one of Cori's hands tangled in Lana's hair, she felt that same warmth spread throughout her entire body, leaving her as breathless as the kiss was.

As they parted, Cori let her forehead rest against Lana's, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. "I miss you."

Lana gave a breathy laugh. "I hope you don't think I'm finished with you," she countered, punctuating the statement with a light push that left Cori backed against the desk in the center of the office. "My beautiful, stubborn, _ridiculous_ , Jedi." Each endearment was emphasized with a kiss, Lana's voice growing quieter as her lips moved across Cori's jawline.

"Lana—" Cori leaned back a bit — not that she could move much, given her position. Her eyes searched Lana's face, taking in _everything_ , every inch and every feature. The line of her lips, the curve of her jaw, the softness in her eyes that seemed so out of place against the hard glow and color of her irises. Cori realized, after another moment of silence, that Lana had begun to draw back, her brow creasing in worry.

"Cori? I shouldn't have presumed—"

"I love you." Those weren't the words she'd intended to say, weren't words she'd realized she was _ready_ to say, but she said them and she _meant_ them, more than she'd truly meant anything in quite some time. The detached confidence that served her as a Jedi couldn't compare to the certainty she felt at that moment. "I love you," she repeated, unable to hold back a smile the second time she spoke.

Lana blinked, her expression remaining unchanged for a fraction of a second before mirroring Cori's smile. "I love you, too. In truth, I think I have for a while. I just never imagined…" She paused, letting out a slow breath and giving her head a little shake. "This was a _dalliance_ , something I was supposed to have put behind me by the time we met again on Rishi."

"I'm glad you didn't." Cori laughed, a light sound that was almost a giggle. She didn't know what to do, didn't have anything else to say; she'd never even come close to saying _I love you_ to anyone before — not like this, not when the Jedi taught so strongly against the notion. All at once, she was young and uncertain and inexperienced, and settled for pulling Lana into another kiss. Cori lifted herself up to sit on the edge of the desk, hands grasping at Lana to keep her pressed tight against her. She was distracted, the heat of Lana's lips and tongue and breath scattering her thoughts, but she wasn't quite distracted enough to forget she was on an Imperial warship. "How long, exactly, can these negotiations take?"

Without answering, Lana cleared her throat and leaned past her to press a button on the desk's commlink. "Captain, I believe we'll be delayed. Double check the status of the prisoners and verify the authenticity of the Jedi's artifacts. The Jedi and I are not to be interrupted until we've reached an accord — understood?"

" _Of course, Minister_."

As Lana straightened, she raised an eyebrow. "Does that answer your question?"

"I believe it does."

* * *

"Do you think Jaesa is ready to be a Lord?"

Malavai was silent as he thought, his careful contemplation easy to read through the Force. "I believe you've trained her well."

Lys pressed her lips into a small smile. "That isn't what I asked," she chastised lightly, pressing closer to Malavai to make room on the sidewalk as a young man in acolyte robes passed them. They themselves were in no hurry, having left plenty early to take advantage of a break in the otherwise ever-present rain, electing to walk from their apartment and catch a taxi to the Citadel from further in the city.

It was a perfectly relaxing morning — or would've been, if not for Lys' upcoming meeting with Darth Marr. She knew little of what to expect, but there had been mention of a proposal the Republic had made, and evidently her presence was required.

For now, she had another, slightly less pressing topic on her mind.

"She's almost as familiar with the Sith code as she is the Jedi code," Lys commented thoughtfully, "even if she doesn't adhere to any of the more common translations. Her combat skills are exceptional, and her talent with the Force is unparalleled."

"You sound as if you've already made up your mind."

"Perhaps I have."

Malavai gave a quiet laugh, then pointed out, "You'll have quite a bit of free time, then, without an apprentice to train. Unless you plan to officially take on Ashara's training?"

"No, not unless Nox wishes me to." They continued in silence for a moment, then Lys admitted, "I would like to speak with the overseers on Korriban, though. It's certainly past time that I take a second apprentice."

As they reached the inner portion of Dromund Kaas, they made their way to a taxi that would take them to the Citadel. Lys headed straight for Marr's office, and Malavai remained just outside, in the same room where Marr's Pureblood advisor typed silently away at a terminal. Darth Marr, who had clearly been waiting on Lys, set aside a datapad as she arrived, offering little in the way of a greeting.

"Lord Wrath."

Lys nodded as she stepped into Marr's office, feeling almost exposed at attending the meeting alone. She'd become so accustomed to having someone so constantly at her side — whether Malavai or Vette or Jaesa — that it was almost unnerving to attend to business without them.

But that's what the Empire currently required of her, so she would. "Darth Marr. You mentioned a proposal?"

He crossed his arms, and Lys could sense his frustration. "I recently reached out to the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order," he stated bluntly. "Our previous talks of a potential alliance in hunting Vitiate were fruitless, but I believe she now wishes to devote time and resources to such an alliance in the wake of Ziost."

"An alliance," she repeated carefully. "Such as the one on Yavin 4, or something more… stable?"

"It will not be permanent, no. Nor will it encompass the entirety of the Empire. In addition to the Imperial resources we will devote to finding Vitiate, a smaller fleet will have Republic assistance. The extent of that assistance," Marr continued, "is yet to be decided. Once the situation here has stabilized, we will be meeting with Grandmaster Shan to discuss how to continue."

Lys said nothing, though she nodded in recognition; if Satele was willing to personally see to this possible alliance, rather than simply sending Cori or some other Jedi, it was a sign, in Lys' opinion, that the Republic was actually going to take the Empire seriously as an — however _temporary_ — ally. Her own involvement was… slightly more curious. She'd once had indirect ties to Vitiate himself, yes, but it had been months since she'd been contacted, and her last meeting with the Hand had made it quite clear she would put the Empire before an increasingly cryptic and absent leader. Her skills were more useful when applied to the war effort, she was sure. "And my role?"

"To accompany me." Marr paused for a moment, uncrossing his arms and staring down at his desk where he'd set the datapad, as if searching for further clarification there. "Shan respects you, as does her Battlemaster. And your connection to Vitiate could prove useful. For these negotiations, the two of us should suffice — I don't believe the Republic needs a show of force from us, nor do I wish to involve the Dark Council unless absolutely necessary."

"I would agree that smaller numbers would placate the Jedi," Lys conceded slowly, her words cautious. She didn't know if the two of them going alone would be the best idea; it was going to take more than two Sith — albeit quite _powerful_ Sith, both in strength of combat and influence — to stop Vitiate. "This is a matter that concerns the entire Empire, is it not? The Council, and Sith Intelligence, at the very least—"

Marr cut off her argument with a sharp shake of his head. "The Council would debate rather than take action, and Intelligence needs time to rebuild and restabilize. For now, we are simply meeting with the Jedi to determine how to proceed."

"Understood." Lys gave a respectful bob of her head, clasping her hands behind her back. "However the Empire requires me to serve."

* * *

A meeting with Saresh was never a good thing, in T'sereen's opinion. The Chancellor was ambitious, and could be crafty on occasion; mostly, she was brash and overconfident, and T'sereen had experienced her fill of that with the Jedi.

However, Saresh was also powerful, and T'sereen wasn't above taking advantage of her resources and clout.

So when the Republic called, T'sereen had chosen to answer; whatever it was Saresh wished to discuss, it related to the Jedi and, she suspected, the consequences of the destruction of Ziost. The Jedi had remained somewhat silent on that particular subject, having little more to offer than tired platitudes. Saresh herself had received as much criticism as she had support, drawing questions about her ruthlessness and her dedication to the Republic as the full extent of the situation on Ziost had reached the general public.

As for T'sereen, she was just glad she'd been nowhere near Imperial space when it had happened. And yet, despite not being at all involved, she was now meeting with Saresh and would have to scrounge up some sort of opinion that the Chancellor would find favorable.

But as she walked into Saresh's office, she wasn't met with the typical pleasantries she'd become accustomed to during political talks.

"I don't trust the Jedi," Saresh began without preamble, sliding her datapad a centimeter to the right in some sort of attempt to make her already orderly desk even tidier. "Satele intends to work with the Empire to track down Vitiate. We already know that Master Cori is willing to cooperate with Imperials if their goals align with the Jedi's. But I don't trust them," she repeated.

T'sereen frowned, her eyes narrowing. "I'm no longer with the Jedi. If Satele is the one organizing this, she isn't going to allow me to interfere. Or," she amended, " _whatever_ it is you're asking."

"Not interfere," Saresh corrected, glancing at her closed door before turning towards the window. "You and I both know that Satele will send Cori after Vitiate and be satisfied. And yet, that hasn't _ever_ worked. But tracking down Sith — that's what you _do_ , isn't it?"

T'sereen pursed her lips, holding back the urge to let her lekku curl in annoyance. "It has been, in the past," she answered truthfully, not liking the turn the conversation was taking. "Several years ago, I followed and struck down fallen Jedi, and as the Barsen'thor I spent years hunting down the Children of the Emperor. It's hardly a resume worthy of going after Vitiate alone."

"Alone?" Saresh raised an eyebrow, her own lekku twitching with amusement. "You misunderstand — I'm offering whatever assistance I can give. I don't trust the Jedi to be successful, but I have every confidence in _you_ , T'sereen. I want the Emperor gone as much as any Jedi, but I refuse to sacrifice the Republic in the process. It's a sentiment you share, I believe."

She considered the proposal, her mind automatically running through any threats or blackmail or bribes Saresh was holding back in case T'sereen refused. But truthfully, T'sereen wasn't sure she _would_ refuse; Saresh was right — she would gladly go after Vitiate, especially if she could do so without following Satele's example of bowing to the Empire.

After a moment, T'sereen nodded. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

Rei stared out the window, the heavy rainfall obscuring all but the darkness of the forests below and the occasional spark of lightning that crept across the sky. Behind her, an early morning news program played on the vidscreen, and its blue glow flickered throughout the room like a soft echo of the storm outside. The wind and rain beat against the windows but otherwise it was quiet, the only other sound coming from the dull tapping of Rei's short fingernails against the arm of the chair she was curled up in, focused less on the weather and more on her own scattered and aimless thoughts.

She was Lord Reiyaxa. Darth Nox. Dark Lord and Forcewalker and head of one of the Empire's most prominent Spheres.

But before all of that, she was a survivor. She fought and she clawed her way to each of those titles and positions, and she held on to them so tightly that no one could ever tear them from her grasp.

And now the galaxy was changing, and Rei was still clinging to her titles and power as if it were inevitable that she would lose them. _The Empire must change if it is to remain strong_ , Marr had told her once, when they were planning the infiltration of Makeb, and Rei assumed this wasn't what he'd had in mind. They'd lost their Emperor, allied for a time with the Republic, and watched as the life force of an entire planet was drained. Rei had lost as much, and had found herself caring for someone she would've previously seen only as an enemy — an agent with a cocky half-grin and a penchant for disaster and a spark of idealism and devotion.

That changed nothing, she told herself, not really. She was still Lord Reiyaxa. Darth Nox. Forcewalker. The Empire needed her, even if it was a shifting, struggling Empire; she had no room for doubts or hesitation or even the remnants of grief from Ziost. The things she wanted for her happiness were less important than the things she needed for her survival. The ache in her chest was less heavy than the burden on her shoulders.

The Empire was changing, and Rei still clung to her titles and power as if she could stop it from happening.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _well here we are. one year and 100k words later._

 _i want to say 1) thanks to everyone for reading! i appreciate every bit of support and as much as this is the most shamelessly self indulgent thing i've ever done, it certainly helps to know i'm not the only one enjoying this._

 _and 2) i'm far from finished. i never imagined a 700 word one shot about an accidental otp would turn into this mess of a project, but it has and the next part is already underway. i'll be posting the revised version of "recompense" (the prequel to this) thoughout the rest of the month, but i'll get the kotfe/timeskip up around new years!_


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